Just Another Kind of Crazy
by Lady Puffazee
Summary: A new inmate has arrived at Arkham. But who is she? No one knows, not even she does...but does she? Not the best summary I will give you that but please read if you're curious :) feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think! rated for safety cause this is darker than what I have written before. Now complete!
1. prologue

_**Just Another Kind Of Crazy**_

 _ **Author's note: I know! I have other stories that I should be working on, I'm SORRY! But I was re-watching the Batman Trilogy and then I watched a gameplay of Arkham asylum and this was on my USB and... You know what, how about you guys check this out, tell me what you think and get back to me? yeah? yeah. Enjoy my lovelies!**_

 _ **Prologue**_

The long sterile white walls went on for what seemed like miles, joining seamlessly with the white ceiling and floor. In actual fact, it was only about twenty metres. This is my first trip down here, down to the catacombs. They say that no one ever returns from this corridor alive. I'm not alone though. There's "medical staff" with me. They walk in front, beside and behind me, as we all walk past the doors. I know that I'm about to enter one of those doors, but I really don't want to. Those doors reveal padded cells. I can feel the hope and blood drain from my face. I'm scared. Of what is here, of what could happen, of what has happened. I know why I'm here; I feel the instability that they talk of. I feel it flowing through my body, consuming my mind. It's not my fault though, he did this to me, it's all his fault. He should suffer for what he did to me, as well as the others but I know that nothing will happen. His job is one of high power. They won't do anything, I'm just a kid, and what do I know? I'm confused, they say, I didn't know what was happening. My mind was trying to protect itself and tricked me. That's what they say, but they're wrong. He did this, I know that and if I ever get out of here, he will pay. He will pay for what he did to me and he will pay for what he did to the others. But they say that I'm going to be here for the rest of my life. I'm a possible danger to others. Why would I care about their lives? What are they to me? I only care about my own life, at least I used to. What I have now isn't a life.

Life.

It's such a complicated thing but what is it?

Is it the time period between your birth and your death? But then there are those who are alive and yet don't live.

What is it to those people? What if it's not life itself but what you do with it?

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Or do you think I'm a waste of space as well?

Life.

It's so complicated yet it's so simple.

I know what starts it, and I know that many things can stop it.

I know that for some, it is taken from them. It was taken from me.

But some take it away themselves and for others, it just stops.

Do you understand? Do you care to hear what I am saying or are you right now laughing at my misfortune?

Life.

Why?

Why do we do this?

Why do we live and yet not live?

Why do we suffer while others don't?

I don't understand and yet I do.

My name is Raven, if you like, you may call me Rav. Others do so I guess I'm okay with it but I can't remember.

Welcome to my life, or rather what is left of it.

I hope you enjoy your stay, because I'm certain that I know I won't.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 _ **Author's note: here we go, chapter 1. It jumps a little I know but stay with me, it will ease out over time, promise. I hope you like it.**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

I haven't been here for very long and yet it feels as though I've always been here. I have a routine now, the same things happen every day, at the same times, never changing. I'm changing though, I've noticed. I saw my reflection for the first time in months yesterday. My skin has become sickly pale, my eyes have lost any kind of life. My lips are chapped and they quiver, as though the sheer movement of breath passing through them is exhausting. My hair hangs limp and straw- like around my face. My body…..my body. My body is covered, no, it's mutilated with scars, raised flesh and wounds. I've lost weight, too much, my bones are visible underneath what is left of my skin. It's more prominent on my face, my cheek bones protrude far more than they should. When I look down, at my arms, my legs, my feet, my hands, I'm like a skeleton with skin. There's no soft tissue, my muscles are weak and practically non-existent. I'm hideous.

I didn't look like that before him. My skin was healthy, still pale by today's standard but it had a glow to it that made me look nice. My eyes were a clear golden brown, they were bright, happy. I was happy. My lips were soft and supple, a soft pink colour. My hair was long, soft, wavy, a dark oak brown in colour. It used to brush the base of my shoulder blades. My body, well it used to be strong, flexible, healthy.

But then I met him, and he changed me. He changed me so much that they didn't let me see myself when I was in the hospital. When I arrived here, I guess they assumed I knew what I looked like so they didn't bother removing the mirror inside the room. They regret that now. Because I screamed. When we walked into my new room and I saw myself, I screamed bloodcurdling scream. I scared the staff nearby and when the boss found out and made inquiries, he was furious. He yelled at the staff that let me look at my reflection, apparently I wasn't stable enough to know. It's too late now. Now I know, and I wish I didn't. I wasn't ready, I'm still not ready to know what I looked like. I will never be able to forget that. But as a very smart person once said, 'shit happens'. I can't remember who first said that to me but they're right. Shit does happen, there's no point in dwelling in the past, you can't change it, no matter how hard you want it to. That doesn't however make me want to change the present any less. I hate myself and what I've become.

O~O~O

If I knew what day it was I would tell you but there aren't any calendars here. Come to think of it, there aren't any clocks either.

"Did you hear that Jody was fired because she let the girl see herself in a mirror?" I hear someone say.

Their voice are muffled because they're on the other side of the door.

"Yeah I did. It makes sense though, she looks horrible" replies a second person.

Well that was rude, true but rude.

"You two do know that she can probably hear you right?" I hear a third voice say.

Suddenly it was very quiet outside of my cell. Good, it's about time that they realise that I'm still a person, kind of. I may be broken, battered, bruised, mutilated and sick, but I'm not deaf or stupid.

The three people outside my cell peer in through the window in the door and quickly recoil when they see the glare that I send their way.

"Yeah I think she heard us" the first voice says.

"Oh, you think? What was your first clue Sherlock?" the third voice remarks sarcastically.

"Maybe we should go, we don't want to end up like Jody" the second person suggests.

I heard their footsteps moving away from my cell and curled up into a ball on my bed.

O~O~O

Arkham Asylum, that's what it says on my new outfit, an orange jumpsuit. Does this mean that they think I'm a criminal? But wait, don't all inmates wear these, regardless of if they've committed a crime? I sigh although it's hardly noticeable, I have so many questions and yet no one will answer them.

I can hear that they're others in this corridor, I hear them moaning, hissing, screaming at all times of the day. However I have noticed that at certain times, the noise is more collective. Does that mean that someone is walking down the corridor maybe? Is that was has my neighbours so agitated?

Suddenly I hear someone whisper, "Scarecrow."

I gulp, Scarecrow? Isn't that something to do with Doctor Jonathan Crane? I search my mind for anything that might give me clues. It takes a while but I finally remember, it was while _he_ still had me. It was a news story, Doctor Jonathan Crane had developed some kind of fear toxin. Supposedly, the Batman had given him a concentrated dose and it caused him to become Scarecrow.

"You better hope you never meet him little girl" he had said to me in his usual disgusting voice. "Scarecrows don't like Ravens, makes them angry."

Shivering, I force the memory from my mind, he isn't worth my time and I can't allow him to be in my thoughts.

" _How else are we going to compile your precious evidence then?"_

Looking around, no one has entered my cell so who spoke? Oh no, am I truly going insane. Is this what Schizophrenia feels like?

O~O~O

Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack, click, clack.

What's that noise? I couldn't be footsteps could it? But no one is meant to come down here.

Jingle, jingle, jingle.

What's that?

Looking up I see a woman and two men at my little window, before the door suddenly swings open. Ohh so the jingle noise must have been keys. I was told that no one ever got out of this place alive though? Are they going to hurt me?

The three people stand at the entrance, not coming inside my cell. No, wait, the woman is preventing the men from coming inside, huh, that's interesting.

The woman speaks, "As you can see, she is in not state to go to Gotham PD, the poor thing can barely walk on her own."

The two men study me and I feel as though I should be cringing but he stopped me from cringing, nothing is more terrifying than him…I think.

One man has a police uniform on, or a variation of one at least and he has a grey moustache to match his grey hair, although he doesn't look that old…maybe his job is stressful. The other man…is wearing a bat suit? Why is he wearing a bat sui… oh, he must be Batman. I didn't think that he actually dressed up like a bat.

The police man talks to the woman, "She may have information that we need Doctor Young. We need to take her to GCPD."

The woman, Doctor Young, looks irritated, "Have you not been listening to me? She has been here for weeks and she's only just put on enough weight to begin assessment. She isn't strong enough to make such a trip and I will not have her carried by a complete stranger, she has obviously been through enough already" she says with a 'that's final' tone to her voice.

The police man seems to think for a moment, "What about allowing us to observe her fist assessment? That way we will be able to see how she is around other people."

If looks could kill, the police man would be dead, "No" she says. "That is final. I'm now asking for the two of you to leave. Poison Ivy is still terrorising the city, wouldn't it be a better use of your time to ensure that she is back here where she belongs, getting the help she needs?" The men say nothing but leave nonetheless. The lady, no, Doctor Young, sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose with her thumb and finger before looking at me.

I look back at her, not really understanding what is going on. She slowly walks towards me, as though she doesn't want to scare me and crouches in front of my cot.

"Will you please come with me? It's time for your assessment. I know that you're most likely confused right now" she says softly. "But I don't think you need to be in this part of the asylum, so please come with me so I can see how to help you."

She holds out a hand for me to take and I stare at it, not knowing what to do. Maybe it was a mistake for me to be in the catacombs, maybe I'm meant to be above the ground. But the thing that makes me take her hand is the notion that maybe she could answer my questions.

Her face seems to almost light up as I place my near skeletal hand in hers, I don't think that she expected me to take it.

She helps me sit up and then gently places her other arm around my back so that she can help me stand and to also walk. She doesn't rush me as I take shaky step after shaky step. It takes a little while but we manage to walk to the door and I leave my cell for the first time.

The elevator ride was quick but I nearly fall over as it jolts to a stop. With Doctor Young still helping me, we walk to what I assume is the assessment room. Inside the room is a man, I don't recognise him but he opens the door for us so that we can enter the room. I don't look at his face as he sees me for the first time, I'm more concentrated on not falling over. Only when I'm sitting in one of the chairs, do I look up…and freeze.

A mirror, there in front of me is a mirror but unlike last time, I don't scream. I just stare. I stare and take in the little but important details that I missed last time.

O~O~O

My eyes are sunken into my skull, even though it does look like I have put on weight. The scars however, send a shiver down my spine. Five lines carved into my skin on the left side of my face, all originating at my temple. The first ends at the edge of my left eye, the second ends at the edge of my nose, the third at the corner of my lips, the fourth end on the top of my chin. The last one goes along my jawline. The whole ensemble kinda making me look like a tabby cat. The right side of my face has a faint burn scar, in the shape of a four leafed clover.

O~O~O

I'm brought out of my staring when Doctor Young places her hand on my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly.

"I'm sorry", she said. "I didn't mean to startle you." She gestures to the man in the room, who is currently taking down the mirror. "This is Jonathan Crane, a former doctor here, have you heard of him?"

Jonathan Crane, Scarecrow. The one that doesn't like Ravens.

I don't want to be rude so I look at the table in front of me and nod.

"Do you mind if he stays?" she asks and I shake my head no, not knowing what else to do.

Doctor Young takes one of the seats on the other side of the table and Jonathan Crane takes the other. It's quiet for a while until Doctor Young speaks up again.

"So Raven, or do you prefer Rav like your file suggests?"

I look up at her and shrug.

Jonathan Crane speaks for the first time, "And what do you mean by that?" he asks in a soft, almost melodic voice.

I open my mouth to reply but nothing comes out. I try clearing my throat but that doesn't work either. They wait patiently as I try to answer. Eventually I'm able to make some sort of noise.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Jonathan Crane asks.

I take a deep breath and manage to say in a hoarse whisper, "I can't remember."

Doctor Young leans forward a little, "You can't remember if you prefer Raven or Rav?"

I nod miserably, my hand raising to trace the clover on my face.

She hums before saying, "Is the scar you're tracing an old one"

I look up at her and nod before raising one finger.

"The first?" she asks and I nod to clarify.

Jonathan Crane looks thoughtful before saying, "You wrote down that _he_ did this to you. Who is _he_?"

My lip trembles as a lone tear escapes, I shake my head.

I point to him.

"I?" he asks and I nod. The two of them look at each other and understand that this is the best way for me to communicate. He looks back to me and gestures for me to continue.

I make my hands into bony fists and move them horizontally.

"Don't?"

I shrug indicating that his guess isn't quite right.

He hums but then asks me to continue.

I think before holding my hands as if I were praying and look up.

"God?"

I shrug again and make a 'kind of' sign with me hands. Before finally pointing at myself.

"You?"

I nod.

He hums, placing my words together "I don't God you? Could you please try again?"

I nod slowly and think. I look at him after a few moments. I point to him, then me then use my finger to draw an invisible line across my neck and then held my palms upward and tilted my head.

"Would I kill you?" he asks and I nod. "No I wouldn't."

I point my finger as he replies, "I wouldn't?" he asks again and I nod.

Doctor Young sits up a little straighter, "Now we're getting somewhere."

Jonathan Crane nods, "So I wouldn't God you?"

"It's the God that we have wrong, she means a different word" Doctor Young says causing him to nod. She looks at me, "Have you ever played charades? Can you tell us how many syllables?"

I nod slowly as a foggy memory comes into my mind.

I hold up one finger.

"One word" she says.

I nod then hold up two fingers.

"Two syllables."

Again I nod, then I trace the letter 'b' in the air.

"Begins with the letter b?" she asks and I nod again.

Jonathan Crane thinks for a little before saying his thoughts out loud, "One word, two syllables, begins with b and God isn't too far from it?" he asks.

I don't know how to answer so I don't.

"Belief?" Doctor Young asks and I nod. "I wouldn't belief you?"

Jonathan Crane, hums yet again, "I know, I wouldn't believe you."

I nod, happy that they understand.

Although I'm happy, they look puzzled. "Why wouldn't we believe you?" Doctor Young asks. Her question brings my mood down again and I slowly shake my head no.

"Perhaps that can be a question we save for a later date?" Jonathan Crane offers.

That's odd, why would he offer an opinion.

Doctor Young nods thoughtfully but a knock at the door prevents her from answering. Batman enters the room without being let in, very rude.

"I think Crane should go back to his cell. He's done enough for one day."

Ohh so that's why. He's not a doctor anymore but they still value his insight. He must be helping the doctors as part of his treatment.

Doctor Young looks at Batman disapprovingly, "I'm in the middle of a session, have you no manners? You don't own Arkham and cannot walk around as if you do. Now, since I asked you to leave over an hour ago, I'm assuming that Poison Ivy is once again within Arkham's walls?"

Batman nods but doesn't say anything, what is with him?

"I will decide when he returns to his cell, he's my patient, so is she and you're making her uncomfortable. Did you stop to think that perhaps you remind her of her tormentor?" Doctor Young remarks.

I sneak a peek at Jonathan Crane before looking at the table again, tracing the grains of the wood with a finger.

"What song is that?" Jonathan Crane asks me suddenly, causing Doctor Young and Batman to look at me.

I look up at him, realising that I had been hoarsely humming. I gulp slightly and shyly motion to his pencil. Looking intrigued, he hands me his pencil and a fresh page of his notebook. I fumble with the pencil for a while, trying to remember the best way to hold it. When I finally do, I put pencil to paper and timidly write.

'Jolly Sailor Bold'

He looks at the paper for a few moments before looking at me curiously, "I don't believe that I have heard of it."

Again, I don't know how to answer so I just stare before looking back at the table. I must have spaced out because the next I know, I'm thrown from my chair and crash into the wall, my head snapping back from the impact. I blink a few times, my vision blurring before I black out entirely.

 _ **Authors note: Soooo? What do you think? Are you guys intrigued? Even a little bit? Please let me know what you think in a review. I do want to expand this story as it has a different tone to my other fics, so be sure to let me know if you like it or else I might not continue it. Anyway, until next time, Bye guys and girls!**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 _ **Author's note: here we go, chapter 2. To those giving this story a chance, thank you very much! I'm kind of winging it at the moment but I have a rough idea of where I want this to go. The point of view does change a bit but like I said in the last chapter, things will smooth out soon. Please let me know what you think.**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

Third person point of view

Beep, beep, beep, beep. The steady flow of noise the only thing heard throughout the near deserted room. The use of private hospital rooms in Arkham is practically unheard of, but seeing as the patient in question has yet to be eliminated as a possible psychotic, the measure had to be taken.

The only person in the room is the patient, Raven. Having been knocked unconscious with a possible concussion or even a minor skull fracture due to her lack of weight, she had to be put in a medically induce coma for her own protection. The thing with medically induced comas is that is the medication isn't administered at the same time every day, there's no telling how a patient might react. After all, everyone is different. Especially when you're knocked from your seat and into a wall by an escaped lunatic that just so happened to be running by.

After a few moments the door opens, revealing two medical doctors, three nurses, Doctor Young and Jonathan Crane. It's at this moment that Raven awakes, four days ahead of schedule.

Raven's point of view

Waking up, I know instantaneously that I'm in a hospital room. A room like what he put me in. Immediately I begin to struggle, using what little strength I have to try and get as far away from this room as possible, the only thing stopping me from leaving the bed is the IV currently in my arm, which tugs at my skin as I fight to get up.

It takes mere seconds before there are people trying to pin me down, causing me to start sobbing. I vaguely notice Young and Crane but I can't be sure if it really is them, after all, he must have got to me again. Why else would I be in such a room?

Since my voice was barely there to begin with, it doesn't take long before I lose it completely from my sobs.

"Why weren't we inform that she would react like this?" a man demands.

The person I think could be Young replies, "We were unaware that she would, her initial assessment hadn't been complete before she lost unconsciousness. I had no idea that waking up in such an environment would cause her so much anxiety."

I have no idea where I'm getting the strength to fight those who are pinning me but I don't give up, I have to get out of here, I have to! In the course of trying to restrain me, one of the ladies rips out my IV seemingly by accident, making me let out a silent scream. In the amount of shock that follows, I'm able to get out of the bed but I manage to trip over my own feet and collapse on the floor. I can see now that Young and Crane really are here but I still want to leave. Being the closest to me, Crane pounces and effectively traps me in his arms, regardless of the fact that I'm still struggling, although my energy is quickly running out.

"She must be calmed before she hurts herself further!" a woman exclaims. "There's nothing of her as it is, if she doesn't stop struggling, she'll probably break something."

"Crane, we can't get a sedative in her while she's fighting" a man states. "Can't you try and calm her or something?"

I feel rather than see that he seems to be battling with an eternal struggle before I hear him sigh ever so softly. He begins to hum the tune of 'Jolly Sailor Bold' or rather the part of the tune that I think he heard me hum the last time I saw him.

He hums it right in my ear and rubs my shoulders soothingly, making my freeze and tremble slightly from the exertion of my muscles. He persists with his humming and begins to walk backwards, taking me with him, never stopping his attempt at calming me.

My mind is spinning, the tune is settling my nerves but isn't he supposed to hate ravens? But he's being nice to me. But what if it's just part of his treatment? What if I don't calm down and it makes him angry? I scrunch my eyes up at the thoughts that are bombarding my head and make the decision to trust Crane. What have I got to lose?

I turn my face into his chest and rest my hands underneath my bony cheek, right over his heart. He moves his arms slightly, to make it as though he is embracing me rather than restraining me before he suddenly sits down. Without thinking and also due to him easing up on his grip, I tuck my feet under my body and curl up in his lap as he finishes humming.

The room is dead quiet, which makes me think that my actions may have shocked those that are in the room. I open my eyes again and look around the room near-frantically before I see an Arkham sign on the wall and I stare at it. That isn't in the room he puts me in…did he not find me? Resting my head back on my hands I notice that Crane is still in his Arkham jumpsuit, like before…I'm in Arkham still? I must be.

As I come to my conclusion, I become as relaxed as I dare, and in turn, Crane reduces his grip a little more. So I relax a little more and he does it again. After a little while, his arms are loose around me and I'm almost comfortable in his embrace.

Hearing soft footsteps, I see Young come into my line of sight. She moves slowly like she did before and asks, "What has you so frightened Raven? Why are you so scared?"

Having lost my voice when I was crying I mouth the words, "Him, he's coming, he's coming for me."

She voices my words out loud to ensure that she has read my lips correctly and I nod to tell her that she's right before I try to hide my face completely. I try to hide 'in' Crane, burrowing my face into his chest to get as far away from the world as possible.

"Raven" Young says, "Who is he? You need to tell us so that we can help you" she insists almost demandingly.

My frazzled nerves react badly to her tone of voice and as I shake my head, I begin to tremble and cry again, bunching up the fabric of Crane's jumpsuit in my tiny hands as I feebly try and hide.

O~O~O

Third person point of view

All those in the room, apart from Raven, sigh as they see how Young's words have affected her. As they attempt to calm her once more, the director himself walks in. It takes no time at all for him to be brought up to speed and he makes a decision that shocks all as he voices it.

"She can't go back to the cell that she was already in. We need it for another patient. Since she has seemingly taken a liking to you Jonathan, I'm going to make arrangements for another cot to be placed in your cell. She's going to be your roommate."

Sure enough, protests are expressed at his decision from all parties except Crane who is silent from shock.

"She can't be in the same cell as him! It's not safe, nor is it decent!"

"Director, surely there's a better option than this?"

"Enough" he says. "There is simply nowhere else to put her. She can't go in a normal cell because there aren't any available and she can't go back into a padded cell because they're those who need them more than her" he states before continuing. "She has taken a liking to Crane and he needs something to focus on. Since he has nothing better to do and he isn't allowed near the other inmates, why not make her a focus? He still possesses the knowledge required to deal with such a person and it's clear that she isn't responding to you anymore" he says to Young. "I'm going to give it a trial period of three months. If there's no improvement then Doctor Young, I'll give her back to you as a patient. Until then, she will be with Crane at all times and will only spend three hours alone in order to give them both some space. During that time, I suggest that she's monitored by a nurse that is around her age. Do we know how old she is?"

Young, having been the only one in the room to have read her file shakes her head, "No sir. The evidence in her malnourishment suggests that she was held captive by someone, who she won't provide the identity of, for a number of years. It's unclear just how long she has been subjected to the obvious torture and abuse but the current educated guess is that she's between 15 and 26 years of age."

The director hums disapprovingly, "That is a big gap, can't we tell by the fusion of her bones? Surely x-rays have been taken?"

One of the nurses pipes up, "Due to her malnutrition, her calcium levels are at a dangerous level. Because of that, we can't accurately determine her age from her bones. The same goes for her teeth too."

The director sighs and looks at Crane, "What do you think? You do have a say on whether you get yourself a roommate. Would you be willing?"

The man in question thinks over the pros and cons, but eventually replies. "If anything, I'm remarkably curious about her and her experiences. As you have said, she seems to have taken a liking to me. I don't see why the trial period can't go ahead."

The director claps his hands, not noticing when Raven flinches violently, "Then it's settled. I'll have another cot brought to your cell Crane. From now on she is effectively your responsibility and I hope I can trust that you won't use her as a lab rat?" he asks sceptically. At Crane's reassuring nod, he carries on. "To be on the safe side, I'll have an older and maternal nurse brought in from Gotham General to be with her in the three hours a day that she isn't with Crane. To help her bathe and be a different face."

Without saying anymore the director leaves, the medical doctors and nurses on his heels to try and change his mind. Young looks at crane and sighs.

"Well we might as well get moving, you need to go back to your cell" she says to Crane in a defeated voice. "Not to mention that she should walk and due to her weak muscles it will take a while for her to walk that far. By the time we get there, the other cot should be in place."

O~O~O

Raven's point of view

I don't know how to process that I will now be sharing a cell with Crane. It seems so foreign to me and I'm curious as to his motives. Maybe he only agreed because he's bored?

He helps me stand up and I let him wrap an arm around me and support the majority of my weight as he leads me out of the room and to his cell. Like before my steps are very slow and shaky, more so since I wasted so much energy in my earlier struggles, and I hope that I'm not irritating Crane as we move at a snail pace but he doesn't say anything.

After what feels like hours we arrive at Crane's cell and Young opens it to let us in. Sure enough, another cot has been placed and it appears that Crane's stuff was moved in the process, a fact that doesn't escape his attention due to the sigh that escapes his lips.

"I've been assured that nothing was taken" Young says to Crane as he sits me down on my new cot.

"I'm sure" he replies easily. She doesn't say anything more as she shuts and locks the door before walking off, presumably to her office or to see another patient of hers.

Neither Crane nor I speak as he goes through his belongings, making sure that they're all present and accounted for. I just sit and watch for a while before I feel like I being rude and proceed to stare at the floor and trace my four leaf clover scar.

After a while, he seems to notice that I'm not staring at him and he sits on his cot facing me. "Raven" he says softly. I timidly look up at him. "While we are cellmates, I wish for you to be comfortable here" he says but I say nothing as usual. He speaks again regardless of my lack of reply, "Given that, I'd like you to call me Jonathan okay?"

I nod slowly to prove that I'm listening and that I understand. He tilts his head and gives a nod of his own.

"I don't expect our days to be full of conversation but if you do wish to speak then please feel free" he encourages, his tone sounding a little more doctor-y. "I'm also going to leave a few books by your cot so you may read them if you wish." This gets my attention more than anything else and he notices the tiny fleeting spark in my eyes. "Do you like reading?" he asks, to which I nod straight away. He gives me a small smile, "Then it seems that we have found a topic of conversation."

O~O~O

Third person point of view

Over the course of the following two weeks, Raven and Jonathan for that matter, settle into their new routine. Due to Raven's timidness and lack of voice, she rarely spoke but would sometimes make charade like gestures to her cellmate whenever she was desperate for some sort of communication. Jonathan would always oblige, curious as to what was trapped inside Raven's mind. Jonathan to his credit, did make an effort to speak to her throughout the day, even if it was little things such as commenting on the weather or if a particular inmate had broken out of the asylum.

The 'maternal nurse from Gotham General' was nice to Raven and would help her bathe during Raven's three hours away from Jonathan. The nurse never commented on her weight or scares and Raven was thankful for that, which in turn made her more comfortable around the woman. After freshening up, the nurse would let her sit by herself and let her enjoy her own company for a while and that was a time that Raven cherished.

Raven's point of view

Sitting by myself is quite nice, although I never liked doing such a thing in the past. It helps me clear my mind for a while before I'm once again in Cra- I mean Jonathan's presence. He's nice to me but he still has that intimidating air about him.

Looking down in my lap, I run my fingers over the notebook and pen that the nurse gave me. She said that I could use it to write down my thoughts or to communicate with others more efficiently. After all, even I'm getting sick of have to play charades whenever I want to talk to someone.

It feels strange to hold a pen again. I can't remember the last time that I did and it takes me a little while to remember how to hold it properly so that I could write without my hand and fingers cramping. Opening the notebook I decide to practise writing. I start by doing something simple, the alphabet, in bother upper and lower cases. Then I write from 1 to 10.

With each stroke of ink that transfers onto the paper, a dim memory begins to surface. A memory that I love to write, to create ideas and convey them through words…poetry, I like poetry. Maybe Jonathan would tell me some poetry if I asked.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by the nurse coming back to where I'm sitting, signalling that my time alone has ended.

"What have you written there sweetie?" she asks gently. She smiles when I show her and then helps me back to my cell once I've closed the notebook and have secured the pen.

I hug the notebook to me as I'm reunited with my cellmate and we begin to walk back to his- I mean our cell together. I've put on a little more weight so I'm not too dependant on others to help me walk but I still trip occasionally and still get tired very easily.

Walking past the other inmates, they yell out various insults, most to do with my scars and how thin I am, making me shrink in on myself as I walk. The insults haven't changed since the first time that they saw me but they still hurt. I know I'm hideous, why do they have to keep reminding me?

Reaching our cell, the nurse bids me farewell and I give a little smile in return while Jonathan replies verbally. He lets me walk into the cell first and a guard locks the door behind him once he's inside as well. Once we're alone together again he speaks to me gently.

"Were you given that today?" he asks gesturing to the notebook. I nod and he adds, "May I see what you've written so far?"

I blush with embarrassment, knowing that I've only written the most basic of things but I hold out the book for him to take regardless. He takes it carefully and looks at the only page with ink.

"You've improved your penmanship quite quickly" he remarks, looking at me from behind his glasses before looking back at the page. "It's clear that you were quite shaky when you started, most like because it's been a while since you've written. But the most recent letters and numbers are structured far better" he praises. Not being used to praise I just avoid his eyes and bite my lower lip.

He hands me back my book and asks me another question, "Why do you hunch in on yourself whenever someone calls out to you? I understand that you're quite timid and dislike being given attention but I still don't understand why you try to make yourself be as small as possible."

I look down for a few moments, before looking up at him and then back down. I open my notebook, and write my answer down with my pen:

 _I already know that I'm hideous and disgusting to look at.  
I don't like being reminded._

Once I've finished writing, I place the cap back on my pen and turn the page around so that he can read it. He doesn't say anything once he's done so I just close the notebook and put it and the pen next to my pillow.

Nothing is said between us for the rest of the day. We eat in silence and do a little reading in silence. It's only after 'light's out' is called and I'm about to fall asleep that I hear him say something that I clearly wasn't meant to hear.

"What on Earth happened to you?"

 **Author's note: Alrighty so that's chapter 2, little more information given about Raven, although to be fair I'm holding back quite a bit. Please let me know what you think so that I know this is worth continuing. I'm not sure when I will have another chapter up but it should be within a week, maybe less. Anyway I hope you liked it, until next time, bye!**


	4. Chapter 3

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 _ **Author's note: Righto, so this chapter focuses a little on Raven's time with 'him'. Some parts, to do with her scars, are detailed so I'm just giving you that warning now. Also, in regards to her scars, I have done my research so please, no nasty comments telling me that they wouldn't be possible or that she'd lose too much blood. I have researched it extensively. Enjoy.**_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

Raven's point of view

Two and a half weeks, that's how long Jonathan and I have been cellmates. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, _he_ was just probably lying to me when I was told that Jonathan, and by default, Scarecrow would hate me just because of my name. So far so good, and I'm able to talk now. My voice is getting stronger although I'm still unable to speak for long periods of time. But then, like most times whenever I feel the smallest bit of safety, security, my mind decides to remind me otherwise.

O~O~O

It's dark and cold here, What's going on? No, oh no, I'm back. Back in that room, the room he kept me in. Oh, no, he could come at any time!...But wait there's something different. The thermometer on the wall says that it's 10 degrees below freezing and yet I'm not huddled in the corner.

Suddenly I hear a voice, "We need to wake her as gently as possible."

Wake me? What does that person mea- oh, I'm dreaming. Well that's good…I think, but I don't want to be here anymore. How to I wake up?

"Raven?" I hear Jonathan ask before feeling him softly shake my shoulder. "You're having a nightmare Raven, wake up."

I relax as best as I can and try to wake up. It takes a little while but sure enough, the scene before me becomes blurry and eventually disappears. I groan quietly as my eyes struggle to open. After some fluttering, I'm able to see Jonathan kneeling in front of me.

"Jonathan?" I ask, just wanting to clarify that I'm not confusing people.

He nods and helps me to sit up, passing me some water to sip.

"Are you alright dear?" I hear my nurse ask me. I look at her briefly before shaking my head no and drinking some more water, my throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper.

Someone outside the cell sighs, "It looks like we're back to square one" I hear Doctor Young mutter. Is she angry with me? But I didn't do anything wrong! Hearing her irritated tone I sniffle and my eyes fill with water.

"Doctor Young" Jonathan says from his place beside me, "By any chance is it possible for you to refrain from making her cry for once? There are many inmates in this asylum that will get you the five minutes of fame that you're hoping for but Raven isn't one of them. I suggest that unless you're willing to be patient with her, that you discontinue your involvement with her recovery."

Unlike with Doctor Young's tone, Jonathan's helps me to control my emotions, allowing me to compose myself enough to finish the glass of water.

"Hmm" I hear another voice remark. Looking up I see the director.

In a tiny voice I timidly ask, "Did I do something wrong?"

His expression softens from thoughtfulness to near understanding, "No child" he replies. "You haven't done anything wrong." I nod and look back down at me empty glass. "Crane" he continues, "From that display I'm going to give you two more months with her as your cellmate. If she continues to improve and consequently so do you, I see no reason why the duration of her time as you cellmate doesn't increase. Any problems with that?" he asks.

"Not at all Sir" Jonathan replies. "I hope that I will be able to help Raven and I thank you for trusting me with more of her time."

Nodding, the director leaves, motioning for Doctor Young and my nurse to do the same. The nurse pats my hand maternally and a guard locks the door behind her, leaving Jonathan and I alone.

Looking up at him I say with uncertainty, "Good morning?"

Raising an eyebrow at me he replies, "Indeed, I'd ask if you slept well but I already know the answer." Blushing with embarrassment I look to see if we've been left alone, making him remark, "Looking for someone?"

"Umm, kind of" I admit. "I wanted to ask you something but I wanted to make sure that we were alone" I tell him. He tilts his head and motions for me to continue as he sits back on his cot. "Is it possible for you to help me control my fear?"

His eyebrows disappear into his hairline momentarily, "We could both be put into isolation for that question."

I gulp at his tone, but try and keep my anxieties down, suddenly deciding that my request is stupid, "I'm sorry, forget I asked" I say softly. I don't look at him and instead, I just bring my knees to my chest and start reading a book.

O~O~O

I don't know what I was doing while I was sleeping, but whatever it was, it caused me to lose my alone time. My nurse sits with me in silence but never leaves my side like she would normally do, maybe I was crying of something. She gently calls my name to get my attention and we stand and move to meet up with Jonathan so that we can go back to our cell.

I nod to Jonathan, "How was your session?" I ask politely.

He gives me a half nod in return, "Nothing new" he replies, almost bored.

The three of us begin to walk and I ask tentatively, "Are they missing something that is obvious to you? What I mean is, were the situation reversed and you the doctor, not the patient, you would have made sufficient progress by now?"

The look he gives me is thoughtful, "Something like that Raven, something like that."

It's silent for a few moments before my nurse carefully asks, "Do you remember your dream Raven? From this morning?" I nod at her and she presses further while still being patient with me, "Was it just a nightmare?"

Visibly swallowing my growing fear I tell her, "No, it was a memory. I only realised I was dreaming because I wasn't cold."

Her brow furrows in confusion, "Cold?"

I nod, suddenly finding my fingers fascinating, "The room he kept me in was always cold, and that's why I was so thin. I was almost always shivering and it would use up any energy reserves that I had." As I talk, I realise that my hands nearly look normal, which shows just how much weight that I've put on.

She subtly slows our pace, increasing our conversation time, "Why would he keep you so cold?"

Shrugging my shoulders I say, "It's been made obvious to me that he lied to me, a lot. Thinking back now, at some of the things he would tell me, they're just stupid but I was too scared to see it at the time." She seems to struggle with her words and I appreciate that she's not pushing me, so I add, "My eyes."

Now I've caught Jonathan's attention, snapping him out of his mood, "Your eyes?" he asks slightly confused, and I feel a miniature sense of accomplishment that I was able to cause a micro-fracture in his composure.

I look straight ahead, if I'm going to tell them, it's easier not to look at them, "Yes, he would always say that they reminded him of acorns and that acorns are resilient to the cold, thus a good source of food for hibernating animals. He figured that if acorns could last in freezing temperatures then so could I."

I hear the nurse sigh, "That's ridiculous" she comments.

I nod my voice a little shameful, "I know that now."

Jonathan speaks next, his tone unrecognisably to me, "What else would he tell you?"

I chew on the inside of my lip for a bit before I answer, "Off the top of my head? After I saw the news story about your arrest, he would tell me 'You better hope that you never meet him, Scarecrows hate Ravens'. He'd say it whenever you were on the news and every time it would become more sinister."

He hums, and when I look at him, breathes out through his nose and says, "So he would threaten you with false information about me? To what end?"

I shrug as we're required to stop while the guards check us for metal and go through the complicated door system. "The only thing I can think of" I say to him as he's checked over. "Is that he wanted to make sure that I was too scared to try and escape. He wanted to fill my head with as many lies as he could, I mean, he had me for long enough" I finish quietly.

We walk through the steel door, having been cleared and Jonathan asks, "How did you escape?"

I look at him, my expression blank, "I didn't. I got really sick and he didn't want me anymore so he dumped me at Gotham General with a basic file and after a while I was sent here" I say before adding, mostly to myself, "But the world is different now."

My nurse looks at me sadly, "How long did he have you?"

The memories are beginning to become too much and a tear trails down my face, "Too long."

Arriving at the cell, Jonathan chooses his words carefully, seeming to not want to stress me, "Why won't you say who did this Raven?"

Swallowing the lump in my throat I say firmly, "Because he has a lot of influence here in Gotham." Looking him dead straight in the eyes I continue, "I'm sure you know better than most, just how corrupt the system is. There's no point in telling because he'll just schmooze his way out of it. Who will people believe, him or me?"

I don't get a response from Jonathan or the nurse so I just sit on my bed and begin to draw in my notebook.

O~O~O

Nothing is said for the rest of the day, only when the food arrives for dinner are words spoken.

Jonathan breaks the ice first, having been the one to collect the food containers, "What is this?"

The guard has already moved on so I stand and walk to him muttering "Rude" under my breath.

He turns to me and hands me a container, "Any ideas?" he asks, seemingly completely bemused.

Looking at the food, I smell it and pop one of the little white cubes in my mouth, noting how chewy it is, and recognising it from its texture. I swallow and say, "It's Tofu."

He nearly smiles, "How do you figure that?" he inquires but tries a piece nonetheless.

Sitting on my bed, he copies me as we eat, "I used to eat it a lot, you know…before."

He nods, understanding and changes the subject, "What have you been working on?" he asks, motioning to my notebook.

Having just filled my mouth with Tofu, I just hand him the book and nod to show that he has my permission to look inside. He examines the page, holding it in one hand while still eating. He licks his lips and tilts his head, as though he's trying to see around a corner.

Biting my lip, I finishing chewing and say, "It's the main room that he kept me in. Talking about him just filled my head and I had to get it out somehow." His lips purse for a second but he doesn't say anything so I ask, "Have you ever played twenty questions?"

Jonathan quirks an eyebrow at me, and smirks with amusement, "No, would you like to play?" Popping another bit of Tofu in my mouth I nod. He hums, "What if we played a different version? How about we inquire as to a few things about each other, without specifically asking a question?"

I swallow the last of my food and place my rubbish in the little tray on the door before sitting down again, "But if we really don't want to answer, we don't have to" I add and he nods, clearly not wanting to answer certain things himself.

He finishes eating as well and follows my lead with his own rubbish before facing me again, "Ladies first" he gestures.

I think for a minute before finally asking, "How do you feel about fear?"

He takes his glasses off and cleans them as he replies, "It's always been a source of captivation for me. How the tiniest things can turn the biggest of men into a crying mess. It interests me just how much some people allow their fears to control their lives."

I take in his words before I ask my next question, "Do you like experiencing fear yourself? You know for the adrenaline rush, or are you more incline to just watch others be scared?"

He puts his glasses back on, "I don't go out of my way to scare myself, although I have been exposed to my own toxin. I suppose you could say that I do experience a sense of adrenaline, seeing people scared. But after a while, if you don't know what they're scared of, it can become boring, that's why I always asked my patients what they saw, so I knew exactly what caused them to be frightened." I nod a few times, letting it sink in, before gesturing for him to ask his questions. "Really?" he says perplexed, "After only three questions, that's all?"

I shrug, "That's all I really know about you, I mean anything else I feel is none of my business."

He examines my face for signs of deception but eventually hums, "Alright, do you remember how old you are?"

I shake my head no, "I never counted years but I did count months. I could see the moon from my room's window so every full moon, I'd make a tally under my mattress."

He leans back against the wall, "So you were taken on a full moon? Is that why you tallied them?"

I nod yes, "That's one of the few things I remember clearly about the early days with him."

He thinks a moment and decides to push a little more, "And? How many months were you with him?"

I scrunch up my face and start to silently count the tallies in my head. I notice that Jonathan tries to read my lips in order to guess the number but I don't think he has it right. Finally I answer, "Ninety, he had me for ninety months."

I guess from his expression, that's he's shocked as he converts the months into years, "Seven and a half years, that is a very long time to keep someone, particularly in Gotham. I'm honestly surprised, most abductors would have murdered their captives and removed any evidence long before then."

I shrug at him, my palms facing the ceiling, "I never found out why he took me in the first place."

He hums again, "That could make you a teenager or possibly in your twenties, depending on how old you were when he took you."

My eyebrows raise, as I muse, "I never thought about it like that. He would always try and confuse me in the early days, and eventually it worked and I forgot how old I was." I look away from Jonathan and out the little window, my thoughts running away with possibilities.

Jonathan doesn't press the subject further and clears his throat to regain my attention, "Next" he says. "Would you tell me how you obtained a few of your scars?"

Not seeing a reason not to I reply, "Uh sure, which ones?"

He folds his hands in his lap, his body language calm, "The four-leaved clover?"

I trace the scar in question, remembering easily, "He had this little teaspoon" I tell him, watching his face for any reaction. "And he would heat it up until it was white hot and then press it against my face. He just repeated it until it made a four-leaved clover pattern and would repeat the entire process until it left a good enough scar."

His composure doesn't drop, he just calmly remarks, "The lines on the left side of your face?"

I briefly brush a finger over them, "Nothing fancy" I remark, "Just used a box cutter and would keep opening the cuts until the scare tissue was as raised as much as he wanted."

He pursues his lips at that one, before asking, "And finally, the ones on your right wrist?"

I look down at the scars in question, lots of little dots and scrapes, "He wrapped barbed wire around my wrist" is all I say.

O~O~O

We're silent for a few minutes before he changes the topic of the questions slightly, "Did you ever have any connection with the rest of the world?"

Looking back up at him, I say, "I was allowed to watch Gotham Tonight for an hour every day, but apart from that, I would sometimes be allowed to read a newspaper in my room. It was common for me to re-read the same newspaper for a few weeks however, even after I had already memorised it."

He nods, seeming as though he's reached his last question, "Last one" he says, confirming my guess. "Why aren't you scared of me? Why have you decided that you can trust me?"

I look him dead in the eyes, not having to think of my answer, "I am" I tell him, "I'm terrified of you but at the same time, you're the only person in this place that seems to actually want to help me, and you're the only one that hasn't hurt me yet."

He tilts his head at my words, "I can think of a few exceptions, your nurse for one."

I sigh a twiddle my thumbs, "She's nice to me, sure, but she's also kinda…a super cluck, if you know what I mean?"

My comment actually gets a chuckle out of him, "A super cluck? No I don't know what that means."

"It means" I say, "That although she means well, and she's very much like a Mother hen, she's also the kind of person that will tell anyone who will listen about anything. Like when a Mother hen can't find one of her chicks, she just starts clucking like crazy, telling anyone and everyone. I just have a feeling that anyone that knows her knows about me, so I don't feel that I can really open up to her, since she's probably not going to keep the information to herself. Thus, she's a super cluck."

He chuckles again, a smooth sound, "I understand now, and yes I also believe that she is most likely telling everyone about you."

I groan, "Great."

He shakes his head at my tone, "You didn't answer my other question though." I tilt my head at him and he reminds me, "Why do you trust me, even though you realise that I could turn on you at any moment?"

I sigh and let the cat out of the bag, "What have I got to lose?"

 **Author's note: Urgh finally got this chapter done! I was meant to post it ages ago. Oh well it's done now, with some luck, I should have the next chapter up soon. Until next time, Bye!**

 **Updated Author's note: Blurgh I'm so sorry for the typos that were in here, I have cleaned it up (hence the updated chapter). Now My darlings, I'm also here to tell you that I have started on another chapter :D I'm meant to finish this Harry Potter fic of mine first but it's really bugging me** **and I don't know how to fix it. So I'm coming back to these characters, look out for it!**


	5. Chapter 4

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 _ **Author's note: I'm back! It's been ages I know but I have had to do stuff in the world of reality and it has kept me from working on any of my stories. Now, I know I have told people that I didn't want to continue this until I had finished my Harry Potter fic but it's been bugging me so I'm leaving it alone for a bit. Now, this may be kind of slow and I'm sorry about that but I want to ease back into this.**_

 **Chapter 4**

Raven's point of view

Today is going about differently than usual, after my usual time away from Jonathan my nurse takes me to an interview room. I haven't had a formal interview since my first encounter with the Batman, the difference with this interview is that my nurse and the Director are present in addition to Jonathan and Young. It makes me a little sad when cuffs are placed on my wrists and ankles and I'm chained to the chair. I look at Young and try not to let her impatience with me cause me to cry, she still makes me nervous but I swallow down my anxiety. Then the questions start.

Young clasps her hands, "What is the significance of this drawing?" she asks, pushing a photocopy of my latest drawing so that it's directly in front of me.

I frown a little, I never did like people who lacked manners, "Hello to you too" I say, ignoring the question. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. And how are you? Its lovely weather we're having don't you think?" I breathe in through my nose as they finally realise why I brought an attitude and I finally answer, "The room I draw is the room I was kept in for the duration of my abduction."

Young completely disregards the words of mine that she didn't want to hear and demands, "Describe it."

My frown deepens and I shuffle in my seat, speaking in a monotone, "It was about five metres by five metres in dimension, with fake wood panelling on the walls. There was one door and one window, the door was always locked from the outside unless he wanted me to come out of the room. The window was high on the wall so that I could only see the sky and nothing else, I could always see the moon and I would count each month as it went by as I remember that it was a full moon the day he took me. There was a basic bathroom, a toilet and a bathtub tucked away in one corner and a mattress on the floor, facing the door. The floor was concrete, a dark grey in colour but no rugs or other decorations. Apart from what I have already said, there was no other furniture and the walls had no decoration apart from a thermometer that was hung beside the door, it was always set to seventeen degrees Celsius."

The director stops Young from speaking and asks me, "How long were you there?"

Turning to look at him I say, "Seven and a half years."

My nurse pipes up next, "Do you know how old you are?"

My expression slowly slips away as the questions continue, "No, I was made to forget" I tell her.

Young speaks again, "How were you abducted?"

Although my expression is now blank, her question makes my head twitch and my hands shake a little, "All I remember is that I was walking home, I think from school, and I was meant to be picked up but my…Mother? Father?...I don't know, had to stay late at work. I didn't live in the Narrows but I didn't live in the Upper end of Gotham either, it was somewhere in the middle. I remember that it was a really long walk and the sun had gone down while I was walking, and I saw the full moon. Out of nowhere, a dark car pulled up alongside me and before I could react, I was dragged into it and a hand was over my mouth. Then I felt a harsh hit to my head and it all went black after that. When I woke up I was in a set of old hospital scrubs, in that room and alone" I finish, motioning to the photocopy still in front of me.

Throughout all this, Jonathan is silent, clearly not bothering to say that he knows most of what I'm saying already.

My nurse gets my attention again, "Were you allowed any contact with the outside world?"

I shrug, starting to sulk a little, "I was allowed to watch Gotham Tonight for an hour a day and sometimes I was allowed to read a newspaper" I look past everyone and stare at the wall, a tear inching down my face, "No one reported me missing, my face was never shown, pleads for information were never asked for. I guess no one missed me or even noticed that I was gone."

They ignore me for a moment then, talking amongst themselves regardless of the fact that I was still sitting right in front of them and could hear every word.

My nurse talks, mainly to the Director, "This severely complicates things, we can't tell how old she is. She could be a grown woman or a mere teenager, how are we supposed to treat her?"

Young speaks next, "There isn't any way of contacting her next of kin either, if no one reported her missing, it may have just been assumed that she had run away. There's no indication or records of a ransom but still, the GCPD is continuing to insist on interviewing her, claiming that we're wasting time and that she should have been placed there weeks ago."

The Director hums disapprovingly, "They must have a lead that they're not telling us about, another case that shows similarities to Raven's perhaps."

I huff, hating the blatant lack of etiquette, "I can hear you" I tell them grumpily.

They stiffen but don't apologise, the Director diving into another question, "Why have you decided to trust Crane? Does he remind you of a friend? A loved one?" he asks.

I shake my head no, sigh and bite my bottom lip, "I-I'm not entirely sure why I trust Jonathan." Tracing the cool metal of my handcuffs I continue, "I think I trust him because of how patient he's been with me and that he's never strayed from that since we first met at the start of my treatment. I'm not an idiot however, I know that if he wanted to, I could be seriously hurt and/or killed."

My nurse purses her lips, changing the subject. "You said that the man who took you has a large amount of influence in Gotham. Do you know if he works in the justice system or in Parliament? Or is his influence of a more Criminal nature?"

I shrug, "I don't know. He was always well presented, wearing nice suits and spoke charmingly on the phone. But since he convinced me of so many lies, I don't know what's real in regards to him and what isn't."

Before anyone can say or do anything, the door opens and we're interrupted by the Batman, Gordon and the Mayor of Gotham. Batman makes a beeline for me and undoes the chains that kept me tied to the chair and yanks me out of the seat.

"Ow!" I exclaim but I'm ignored.

The three men insist that I have been in Arkham for long enough and that I'm coming with them to the GCPD and that they have to talk to me. Apparently they haven't been kept in the loop in regards to me and any progress that I make, no longer trusting the information that the asylum provides.

My anxiety bubbles up and I can't stop the fear that spreads through me, the composure that I have been trying to keep breaking. Batman drags me to the door and I'm scared so I look at Jonathan and plead, "Help me! Please!"

He looks at me and tilts his head…but does nothing.

I start to shake, tears falling freely as I internally berate myself for ever bothering to trust anyone and then admitting that I had nothing to lose. The betrayal and anger grows until I don't know what to do, so I shut down and allow myself to be lead to a GCPD van as well as be chained to the bench inside. Gordon sits opposite me and just studies me while Batman leaves the van, presumably to drive himself.

I look at the floor, still feeling Gordon's eyes on me. I've put on weight but I'm still too thin seemingly, although the newfound weight doesn't hide my scars.

O~O~O

I'm stared at as we walk through the GCPD building, by other arrested people as well as staff. Having become used to the stares while in Arkham, I ignore them and sit –still in cuffs– on a chair outside what I suppose is Gordon's office.

After a few minutes Batman arrives, his cap billowing behind him and just watches me as Gordon leaves and eventually comes back with a female officer in tow.

I'm escorted into an interrogation room but I'm not tied to the chair. Batman and Gordon stand behind the female officer who is the one to conduct the interview. The questions are ones that I have all heard before and also answers that I don't know the answer to or are questions that I don't see the point in answering.

Ten minutes in and I'm seriously frustrated, then Batman slams his fist against the nearest wall and accuses me of protecting my captor and I freeze, feeling my entire demeanour going unemotional and fixing a glare on Batman.

Pure hatred in my stare from his words, and I visibly shake with fury. When I reply, my voice is deadly calm, "You think that I'm protecting him?" My words gradually increase in volume, "Look at what he did to me! I have no clue as to who I actually am, no recollection of how old I am, no evidence to show that anyone ever cared that I had gone missing in the first place, and to top it all off, I have enough scars and mutilation" by this point I'm standing, "to pass as the bride of FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER! SO DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THAT I'M PROTECTING HIM!" I scream.

Because of my shouting, two other officers rush in and upon seeing me standing, physically restrain me. The female officer tries to ease the tension but I don't hear a word of what she says. Then I feel a prick in my arm and see that they have injected something into me.

My shaking stops, any outwardly sign of my anger is gone so it must be some sort of calmative. It couldn't be a sedative otherwise I would be asleep by now.

They sit me back down but restraining hands remain on my shoulders. I send a noxious glare at the woman in front of me, how the heck did she expect to get anything from me now? I have been pushed and prodded and now drugged, so if they think that they're going to get any more words from me, they're very much mistaken.

I stop talking, stop listening, and just ignore everything around me, placing myself into a mental bubble. My anger remains and my eyes are the only manner in which I convey my mood, but I don't give any other reaction. Even when I'm yelled at, moved or even when I'm placed into a holding cell with other women and lewd comments are sent my way, I don't do anything. When the food comes, I don't even look at it or make any attempt to eat. I don't accept any offered water or drink anything. I just sit like a ragdoll and do nothing, leaving them to move me if they need me to, but I refuse to let them force food or water down my throat.

If they won't listen to me, I won't listen to them.

 _ **Author's note: Yeah I know, it's short but I wanted to have some sort of update for this story. I know that Raven is acting like a brat but that is just my own personal inclination. If I get pissed off, or feel as though I have been betrayed, I retreat into myself and don't acknowledge the world around me (but obviously I don't refuse to eat or drink) so sorry if that's irritating to you. Until next time, Bye!**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 **Author's note: Hey! I'm in such a good mood right now. I have finally finished my three part Harry Potter fic! It feels so good to have that done, especially since I have been working on it for like nearly two years all up! So now I have more time to work on this ;) so here we go! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5**

Raven's point of view

It's been three days and I'm still in the holding cells of GCPD, still in my Arkham uniform and still in my cuffs. They tried to interrogate me, oh sorry _interview_ me again, but haven't gotten anywhere. Not even their precious Batman was able to get me to open up, if anything, he only pissed me off even further. Yesterday I overheard Gordon talking to Young, trying to get me back to the asylum, to no avail. Because Crane didn't react when I called for his help, they can't allow me to be in his cell and they have nowhere else to put me and so they won't take me back.

Sitting in the holding cell, I think back to when Crane ignored me. Initially I felt angry, betrayed and humiliated. Then I remind myself that I confessed to not having anything to lose, so really I can't blame him. I showed weakness and he used it against me. I think back to his reaction when I pleaded for help. He didn't sneer or laugh, he just kept his poker face and slightly tilted his head, analysing my response and my actions directly after. I wonder how I did, did he expect me to kick and scream and shout? Or did he predict that I would shut down like I have, developing my own poker face?

Mentally I growl, irritated that his actions actually helped me somewhat, and irritated with myself for leaching onto the first person that showed any form of pure honesty. I glance around noting the increased activity before zoning out again. What will I do if I ever see Crane again? Try and use him somehow? Try and get him to teach me something? I mean, it's not like I can live a normal life, maybe I can make some sort of deal with him? But I don't want to do anything unless he has something on the line too.

O~O~O

I'm broken from my thoughts by the sound of the cell door opening and I look up to see Gordon entering, heading in my direction. I give him a blank stare, only showing my slight intrigued through my eyes.

Taking out his keys he says, "A situation has come up, we need your cuffs."

I roll my eyes, not thinking I ever needed them in the first place. I don't know the first thing about fighting, but they don't know that. He removes both the cuffs around my hands and feet, even taking the chains as well. As he leaves I rub my wrists, soothing the skin from where the metal had chaffed.

Before I have a chance to slink back into my thoughts, a large commotion catches my attention, and Gordon's. We both look to see some random guy go off his nut, probably in drug withdrawal, who has decided to destroy everything that he can get his hands on.

Gordon runs out, failing to re-lock the cell behind him, something that doesn't go un-noticed by me or my cellmates. We share a look but I move the quickest when I go from sitting to full sprint before they have a chance to blink. They follow me soon after and we run in a pack, easily confusing the officers as they don't know who to go for first in their shock.

As a momentary team, we smash through the doors and bolt in different directions. A few of the cellmates, myself included, head for the Narrows, willing to try our luck in the alleyways. A choice that seems to be the right one, judging by the angry shouts of those that chose to go another way. The rest of us split up again, or momentary team now null and void, it's every girl for themselves.

O~O~O

Feeling as though I've been running for ages without anyone following me, the adrenaline starts wearing off so I drop back down to a walk. Walking around the dark alleys, I figure out that I'm near the bay, if the breeze and sea smell is anything to go by.

I stop dead in my tracks when I hear, "Oi! There's some chick over there!"

I look to my right to see the infamous Oswald Cobblepot, more commonly known as the Penguin, standing beside a large truck filled with who knows what. Around him are several henchmen muscle guys, one of which who was the one to call out to me.

Penguin looks at me curiously, his hands resting on the edge of suit jacket, "You seem to be the bird who was found on the doorstep of Gotham General. Raven isn't it?"

Not wanting to be rude I turn to face him, "Yes sir" I answer politely.

He hums surprised, "Sir eh? Huh, I heard about what happened at Arkham, and I just heard that you escaped from the PD." I don't know what he expects me to say so I stay silent, and he laughs, "A set of steel gut you have girl. This has been fun, tell you what, as a business man I don't want to do anything that's bad for business, but that includes letting people go who have observed any form of illegal activity."

I walk towards him, taking a risk, "So don't let me go" I tell him boldly. "Surely you have a kitchen that I can clean or something, that way you get a free worker without having my face on show and I get a place to hide from the cops."

He blinks and bursts into laughter, "I like you girl, tell you what I will give ya a job, at the Iceberg Lounge as a waitress. You can crash in the flat above, provided you don't mind a roommate and that you help keep it clean. I'll get ya makeup and coloured contact lenses so that you can hide ya scares. What you do with your pay, I don't care just make yourself a new face and give that face a new name. If you manage to be a good enough actress so as to not cause any suspicion, well then I think we'll have a decent arrangement" he proposes.

I muse over his words, weighing up the offer. I'll get free room and board in return for working at the Lounge, as well as all the makeup I'll need to put on a new face. I'm not too bad of an actress, and

I walk towards my new employer, holding out my hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Cobblepot, my name is Melanie Phillips."

He grins, taking my offered hand and we shake on the deal, "Welcome to the fold Miss Phillips. You come with us tonight and I'll send Clara, ya new roommate, out first thing in the morning to get ya stuff, then your first test will begin. But know this girl, if I don't like the new face, ya gotta start again."

I nod, "Understood Mr Cobblepot."

O~O~O

Arriving at the Lounge, Penguin leads me up to the flat, pounding on the door. Seconds later it opens to reveal blonde haired, blue eyed woman who I assume is Clara.

Penguin pushes me towards her, "Clara, this is Raven although she's gonna go by the name Melanie while she's here. Don't mind a roommate do ya?"

She glances at me then back to him, "Of course not sir, will you need me to go shopping for her?"

He nods gruffly, "Use the company credit card, get the good stuff" he examines my face a little closer, "With how bad they are, she's gonna need it, I don't want anyone knowing who she is" he finishes before turning and walking back down the stairs.

Clara grabs my wrist and drags me inside, locking the door behind her, "Rule number one" she says, "Always lock the door, you never know what unwanted attention may come along. Only Cobblepot bothers to knock, everyone else yells."

She turns around and I nod, "Got it" I tell her. "What do you want me to do?" I ask her.

She breathes deeply, "Well it's not something I want but I need you to strip" she tells me.

I sigh, "To see how bad the damage is" I guess and she nods.

I shrug and do what she asks, leaving my Arkham clothes in a neat pile on the floor and stand in front of her in the standard issue white cotton bra and panties that the asylum gave me.

She stares, open mouthed, "Oh honey" she breathes. "You've really been through the ringer haven't you?"

I look her in the eyes, "I don't want to talk about it" I says seriously and she nods.

"No offence but I don't want to hear about it, now let me take your measurements. I don't know how long you'll be here but you're going to need a new wardrobe along with the makeup. It's a good thing that it's usually cold in the lounge, so you'll be able to get away with wearing long sleeves and slacks."

She takes her measurements and asks me about my preferences. I tell her to do what she wants in regards to my wardrobe and I'll handle my makeup.

She reaches out towards me, silently asking if she can touch my face and I nod, "Your eyes are quite distinctive" she says as she asses how raised the scar tissue is. "What about green coloured contact lenses?"

She moves her hand away as I answer, "Sounds good."

She sneers at my Arkham uniform, "Until I can go shopping, I'll give you some of my clothes."

O~O~O

Bright and early the next morning, Clara leaves for her shopping spree. I wonder just how far she's going to take this whole thing. I shrug and shake the thought from my head, focusing on my task. After going through Clara's old clothes, I decide on some yoga pants and a tank top. I also find an old rubber band and use it to tie my hair up in a high ponytail.

I take my time in fully exploring the flat, it's not too small but with two people living in it, things will be cosy. Not wanting her to think that I won't pull my weight, I put a load of washing on and strip both beds. After changing the sheets and straightening up the rooms, I sweep, vacuum and quickly mop the floors. By the time that's done, I move the washing into the dryer and put another load on before moving to do the dishes.

Five hours later finds me on the couch folding the clean laundry, I've already done the sheets and I just have a few more shirts to go.

"Wow!" I hear someone exclaim. I look up and see Clara and Penguin coming through the door. Clara had been the one to comment. "What did you do? Hire a cleaning squad?"

I fold the last shirt and place it in its pile before standing, "No, of course not. I didn't have anything else to do and I already said that I'd help clean the flat" I reply to her.

She places her many bags by the door, "It looks amazing, I wasn't sure if you would clean this much."

Penguin just nods before leaving, shutting the door behind him. I look at her, "Did I take it too far?"

She shakes her head, "Not at all. I've been getting behind and had been planning to do it today but now it seems that I don't have too." I shrug and she snaps out of her daze as I put the clothes away.

When I come back into the main area, she's unpacked all her shopping bags. Grabbing some things at random, she gives them to me and tells me to change. A few minutes later, I come back in the skinny jeans, ankle boots and close fitting long sleeved shirt. She nods in approval, and hands me makeup and hair tools.

"Good luck" is all she says as I head back to the bathroom.

O~O~O

I muse over my choices, reading all the labels. Just as promised, the good quality, heavy duty stuff, this will work but it may be tricky to make it look natural. When I get paid, I'll go and by some of those creams and oils that are meant to help reduce the severity of scar tissue.

I sigh and begin my task. First up, I wash my face then I apply moisturiser followed by a primer. While the primer dries, I choose a foundation that matches my skin tone exactly and apply it with moderate thickness so that my thinness and scars are covered. I add concealer over that and use a few different makeup brushes to smooth it all out as best as I can. Then I use a powder foundation to set it all and give my face and neck an almost matte finish. I examine myself critically, looking for anything that is showing through but to my relief, I find none. Moving on, I add a little blush to my cheeks and use a rose lip stain, with a coat of gloss over that. Then I move to my eyes. I put in my new sea green coloured contact lenses before priming my eyelids. I use three different shades of blue eyeshadow and give my eyes a slight smoky effect. Then I use black pencil eyeliner to line my upper and lower waterlines before creating a wing with liquid eyeliner.

I nod at my reflection, happy with my work so far. Next I move to my hair. Having washed it the night before, I apply some various hair products to make it seem fuller. Then I curl it and give myself an up-do, leaving a few tendrils to frame my face. I add an Iceberg Lounge clip into my hair and I'm done.

O~O~O

I place a coloured chap stick in my pocket so that I can apply it anytime, before letting out a nervous breath and walking out of the bathroom to see Clara letting in Penguin.

Neither of them sees me straight away so I ask, "How's this?" Their eyes shoot to me and it looks as though I have impressed them.

Penguin speaks first, "Nicely done girl, nicely done. Ya still a little on the skinny side but no matter. A few weeks of good food will put the weight back on but until then" he says, turning to Clara, "Better give her a layered uniform, don't want anyone to get nosey."

She nods and he leaves, so she turns to me, "You've done a great job and it only took you forty minutes. He thought it would have taken longer."

I make a face, "I think as long as I keep my hair in braid when I'm not working, that will keep the curls and it will cut down the time. The last thing I want to do is make either of us late for our shifts."

O~O~O

Luckily for me, I picked up the waitressing very quickly, to the relief of Clara who didn't have the time to teach me anymore than that first day. As Penguin predicted, it didn't take too long for me to finally be a healthy weight, which made everything easier. I even managed to find some sort of oil that has been helping with my scars, obviously it works better on my lesser ones like on my wrist but I think I have been noticing a different on my face too. But I refuse to kid myself, I know that some of the scars will never go away; the damage is too far gone.

O~O~O

Another new thing is Crane. He's broken out of Arkham and comes to the Lounge every day, a new regular. The first time I saw him with Penguin, I faltered for a moment. As we had been in the VIP section, Penguin didn't call me by my fake name but by my real one, asking if I was bothered by Crane being there. I said no, which is true to an extent. I'm not angry anymore but I'm still cautious. Crane clearly recognised me and I became his regular server. This continued for a few weeks and it was a little weird to have a slice of his trust, but I know it's only because I handle his food.

The only downside to working for Penguin is his henchmen. They seem to think that I'm a whore and are pissed that I don't give them anything. Clara has noticed, I have noticed, Crane has noticed and Penguin has noticed.

O~O~O

Having taken off all my makeup I slump onto the table, hearing Clara sit down beside me. I look up and say, "I have a feeling that I'm about to be fired."

She bites her lip but agrees, "I think you are too, you're a good server but Penguin needs the muscle more."

I nod, "I'm going to pack my stuff, so that when it happens I can leave quickly, I don't want to get you in trouble."

She pats my hand and helps.

Sure enough, the next day, I'm told that tonight is my last night. That he can't have unhappy employees as it makes for an unhappy employer. I accept my fate and assure him that I will be gone once my shift is over. He agrees and pays me ahead of time.

O~O~O

I see Crane come in and sit at his usual table, so I walk up and greet him. "Welcome back, may I offer you a drink?"

His lips purse and I know he's noticed a change in me, "Water is fine. Something happened didn't it?"

I write down the order and nod, no need to lie. "Because I'm not a slut and won't accommodate the ' _men_ ', I was fired this morning. I leave as soon as my shift is over."

He doesn't reply so I go and get his water. While I do, I try and guess what he's going to order. Will it be the fish or the chicken?

Arriving back at him table, he nods at the glass and I say, "Would you like to order?"

A small smirk comes across his face, "You've known my eating habits for a little while, try and guess" he says.

Assessing his mood, I go over the menu in my head before answering, "I would guess as to the grilled chicken breast with creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables."

He raises an eyebrow, "Very impressive, I'll have that thank you."

A small smile cracks through my poker face at getting the answer right, "Coming right up" I tell him.

For the rest of the night, Crane has a thoughtful look on his face. It only grows until I arrive with the check. Here we go, I'm finally going to know what he's been concocting.

He signs it and I know that he knows my shift has just ended, "Raven" he says. "Why not come with me? I have an extra room and you have nowhere to go. I'm sure we can work something out."

I offer to meet him out back in five t talk about this more, as I have to give my uniform back. He nods and leaves to presumably wait for me. I change clothes, and thank Penguin for employing me before heading to the flat to get my things. Clara has my two bags waiting for me and we share a quick goodbye before I head out to where I said I'd meet Crane.

He's already there and looks up as I approach, noting the long sleeves and lack of coloured contact lenses, "No more disguise?" he asks. I shake my head no and he continues, "Accepting my offer?" I nod and he grins, "Any questions?"

"Just one" I finally say. He waves at me to continue as I put my bags in his car, "Why?"

I turn to face him, watching as he walks towards me with a bemused expression and eventually tell me, "Because now, we both have something to lose."

 **Author's note: Well? I never intended to have Penguin in this fic and I don't think he'll pop up again but I thought it worked. I know I didn't really write an accent for Penguin but… anyway, so Raven is finally healthy, she's got some stuff and her little scars are fading a little from the oil she's using and now she's teamed up with Crane again but this time she's not so naive. I hope you liked it, please review! Until next time, Bye!**


	7. Chapter 6

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 **Author's note: I'm not quite sure just how many more chapters this story will have. At the moment I have two possible endings and there is one that I'm leaning towards more than the other but I'm not sure how to get to that point just yet. Anywho, I'll shut up now, enjoy.**

 **Chapter 6**

Raven's point of view

I never thought that I would be moving in with Crane, I mean come on why would I? But seeing as I have nowhere else to go and I know that I wouldn't last very long in the Narrows, I don't have a lot of other options. His car is nice though, I'll give him that.

When we drive straight past a police car I snort slightly, "Why do they even bother with a police force when they're so bad at doing their jobs?" I ask, not really expecting an answer.

I lean my head on my hand and see Crane shrug one shoulder, "Because it gives a sense of security, even if it's a false one."

I look out the window and try to guess where we're going when a thought enters my head, "Am I going to have the same problems with your henchmen that I did with Penguin's? Cause if I am, I changed my mind and I'm going to try my luck in the Narrows."

He smirks, "I require my men to have at least half a brain, unlike Cobblepot who just needs the heavy lifters" he tells me. "They have seen a few of my experiments and they know better than to go against what I say. However, if they give you any trouble, let me know and I will take care of it."

I nod, "Sounds like a plan" I reply before a sly look comes over my face and I add on the end, "Boss." He rolls his eyes slightly but doesn't correct me on it and I snigger quietly.

O~O~O

After a while, we arrive at an old chemical plant. I turn to him as he parks the car, "Let me guess, they were stupid enough to leave the left over chemicals behind?" he doesn't say anything, but the smirk is answer enough.

He takes my bags for me and we walk inside to find five men playing poker. They look up and greet Crane with the standard "Hey Boss."

He places my bags down and gestures for them to stand. They do and come to be in a line in front of Crane.

He gives them a glare and they tremble a bit, "This is Raven" he says, his voice menacing. "She is going to be with us for the time being, however" he tells them, pausing for effect. "She isn't a maid, nor is she your entertainment. If I hear that any of you have been treating her with anything less than the respect you give me, we are going to have some problems. Are we going to have some problems?" They all shake their heads no and he smirks, looking pleased with himself. Then he turns to me, "Like I said before, if you're unhappy with the way you're treated by them or just unhappy in general, you come to me, alright?"

Internally, I giggle at the men's scared expressions as I answer, "Absolutely."

He looks back to his men and waves them off, so the go back to their poker game. I pick up my bags and follow Crane out of the room and up a flight of stairs. He gets a set of keys out of his pocket and hands me a silver key, before using its twin to open up a door to what I presume is my new room.

He leads me in and my assumption is confirmed, "It's not the biggest room in the world" he says, "But surely it's enough for you. You even have an en-suite" he adds.

I nod and put my bags down near the bed, looking around the room as I do. I'm glad to have my own bathroom, better than having to share one. Besides, a girl needs her privacy. It's a nice room, everything works and the paint job isn't too bad either. The floors don't look like they're going to break and I'm happy to see a deadbolt lock on my door.

"I like it" I tell him, still not revealing too much by the way of facial expressions. "So what am I going to be doing for you exactly?" He looks pleased that I asked, and gestures for me to follow him. I do and lock my door behind me.

"Oh and by the way" he says as we walk down a few flights of stairs, "If you were wondering, no I'm not a peeping tom and I won't use my key to enter your room unless I'm given your permission."

Since I'm walking behind him, he doesn't see my nod so I hum instead to let him know that I heard him. We reach the bottom of the stairs and he leads my into his Lab, giving me a brief tour and showing me what he wants me to do. It looks like I'm going to be learning chemistry…fun.

We sit down at a table and he asked, "Ever remember taking chemistry at school?"

I shake my head and look at the notes in front of me, absentmindedly replying, "I only remember that I loved to read and write, poetry mostly." When I realise that I said that out loud I mentally kick myself and fix a glare on him, "You better not use that against me Crane."

He smirks, "Wouldn't dream of it, just remind me to never introduce you to the Mad Hatter."

I screw my face up, "I will, don't worry about that." I think about what might possibly occur at such a meeting and shudder, "I can see it now" I groan before I put on a high voice and do my own little impersonation of the man, "So tell me are you Alice? No? Oh well then have you seen my Alice? She's terribly late for tea, the naughty. Tell me, have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"

Crane actually chuckles at that one, "I'll add Nygma to the list of people you shouldn't meet too."

I stick my tongue out at him before he comes to sit beside me and shows me how to do my task.

O~O~O

It's been a couple of days and everything has settled down, the men are respectful and even make polite conversation every now and again which is surprisingly nice. At the moment, I'm finishing up one of the tasks that Crane asked me to do. Which is pretty much sourcing local areas for various chemicals and researching ways of creating the more hard to find chemicals with easily sourced ones, thus flying under the radar od suspicion.

Once it's done, I print off the information and place it next to Crane, "Want the men in here?" I ask, noting how engrossed he is. He nods and I leave, feeling bored.

O~O~O

I find the men playing poker again, there must not be much else to do and they stop when I come in, "He wants you all in the lab" I tell them.

I'm given a "Thank you Ma'am" before they head off.

I shrug and look around really feeling bored now, and head into the little kitchen. Crane keeps it pretty well stocked but makes us eat healthy, not wanting a bunch of fat slobs around. I notice that the kitchen, along with this whole floor could do with a clean.

I sigh to myself, "Yep, this is actually going to happen."

O~O~O

I have a quick shower, put on a tank top and some shorts and start working. An hour later and it's all clean, and I'm doing yet another thing that I never thought I'd be doing…cooking. After looking in the fridge, I notice that most of the vegetables are about to go bad so after looking through the cupboards as well, I start making a pot of vegetable soup.

While it's simmering away, I find a bunch of bowels, spoons and glasses and fill up a pitcher with water. Finding an old tray/trolley thing that has a decent height and wheels, I put all of this on it and add a few napkins as well. When the soup is ready, I lift the pot onto the trolley as well and roll my eyes at myself as I wheel it into the elevator and go down to the Lab's floor.

O~O~O

I peak through the window and see that they're not using any chemicals before I push the door open and go in. they're all so engrossed in the plan that they don't notice me enter or even see me push the trolley next to the free table.

I let out a shrill whistle which gets their attention, "I don't want to hear any whinging from you lot that you're hungry. You've all been in here for hours and I know it's been ages since you last ate. So," I tell them as I take the lid off the soup and let the smell drift over. "This won't be a common occurrence but I strongly suggest that all of you, as well as Boss man, get your butts over here and eat something."

I don't look to see if they follow my suggestion but I pour myself some water, and get myself a bowl of soup before sitting down at starting to eat. I hide my smirk when I hear them come over and follow suite, Crane being the first to sit down beside me.

All the men thank me when they sit down and I give them a little nod of acknowledgement. Even Crane murmurs a thank you which was nice.

"On a side note" I say casually, still looking at my food. "I'm not doing the dishes and there are at least seven bags of rubbish that need to be taken out which I'm not doing either."

In my peripheral vision I see the men nod, clearly just been given orders to clean up and take the rubbish out.

Then Crane says to the men, "Also ensure that the leftovers are placed in a sealed container in the fridge, it should keep for a few more days."

I finish my soup and water and place my dishes back on the trolley, smiling a little to myself when I see that the majority of the soup is gone. I don't check to see if they caught me smiling before I walk out of the room and head to the upstairs living room and curl up on the couch with a book.

O~O~O

I'm about halfway through my book when Crane comes in, sits down next to me and turns the TV on. When I hear the beginnings of Gotham Tonight, I close my book and begin to watch. Some habits are hard to break after all.

One particular news story makes me scowl however:

 _This is Vikki Vale for Gotham Tonight. The GCPD is urging anyone who has seen this young girl, to come forward with information. She was walking home from school yesterday afternoon but never made it home. Her parents found her bag on the side of the road and believe that she has been abducted. Speculation has arisen since police can confirm the similarities between this case and another one. Many remember when a sick, thin presumed young woman was dumped on the steps of Gotham General, showing clear signs of years of systematic abuse. Known only as Rav, she has since escaped police custody after a brief stint in Arkham. Before her escape however, it was discovered that she had been abducted in the same manner as this young girl. Concern has been raised that the same fate will meet this young girl, the same abductor being blamed. We will bring you more updates as this event progresses. This has been Vikki Vale for Gotham Tonight._

I roll my eyes and scoff, not even bothering to take in the photo that they've flashed on the screen.

Crane mutes the TV and turns to me, "Same person do you think?"

I look at him, "Everything fits but he'll probably let her go" I answer. At his surprised look I add, "She has people looking for her, I never did. He won't get the same satisfaction so he'll probably dump her somewhere."

He examines my expression, "That makes sense, tell me have you ever wanted to get him back? Get your parents back?"

I muse over his words, "I don't care much for my parents, I don't even remember them. But to get him back would be delightful" I tell him, a sadistic grin stretching over my face.

He matches my expression and we begin to talk.

O~O~O

 **Two weeks later**

IDIOTS! Those pathetic little idiots! You ask them to do one thing, one! And they go and mess it up!

We were planting a device to set off some of Crane's toxin in the subway system, but the stupid men accessed the wrong panel and blew us all sky high! Crane got away since he wasn't near the blast sight. The men are underground, practically killing each other from fear gas exposure and I'm on the surface with a beam on my leg. I know that my foot is in a position that should be impossible so I've obviously broken something, maybe multiple somethings.

All the response services arrive and I even see Gordon. I know they don't see me so I yell out, "HEY GORDON! DOES THIS MEAN I GET MY CUFFS BACK?"

He looks over and is shocked to see me but he just stands there. Four paramedics rush towards me however and begin to check me over. I answer all their questions and say that it's only my leg that hurts and that no, I don't think I've hurt my head.

Gordon only comes over when Batman rocks up and helps lift the beam off me, making my gasp as the pressure changes so quickly. One of the paramedics quickly gestures to my waist and I nod, allowing him to pick me up and race me into the GCPD itself. I only realise why when I see several doctors head my way, obviously brought in for casualties but as I look around, I see that I'm the only one.

"You're only touching me if there are no cameras" I say with a growl. They nod and bring me to the back and away from curious reporters who are filming the rubble.

When I'm away from any cameras, I'm placed down on a table and they begin working on my leg, cutting away the fabric of my pant leg so that they could properly access from my knee down. I screw my nose up when I see my leg and they immediately start injecting nerve blocks and antibiotics. When I confirm that I can't feel anything from my knee down, they begin to examine my leg more closely. Due to the bones poking through the skin, it's obvious even to me, that my leg has just twisted quite violently but my ankle is fine. So all they have to do is twist my leg back to how it's meant to be and hold it in place. They clean the open wound and there are more antibiotics. When they're happy with how the bones are sitting, they hold my leg steady while the wound is stitched up.

They tell me that I need my leg put in a cast and they do some weird thing where from the middle of my thigh down to my foot is placed in a cast but the section of stitches is left open, with just a protective film over it to stop it getting dirty. They give me a jar of pills and say I need to take one three times a day until they run out. I nod and put them in jacket pocket before they then hand me a set of crutches and let me begin to practise with them once they have determined that I have no other injuries.

O~O~O

"Thank you" I tell them sincerely, glad to have my leg back in the right position again. They smile and wave it off, helping me with the crutches.

My good mood doesn't last when I see Batman and Gordon when I hobble around the corner. Beside them are the parents of the missing girl, I recognise them from the TV.

The four of them rush towards me and I scowl, "What do you want?" I spit.

The Mother starts first, "Where is our daughter? Tell us!" she demands.

I sneer at her, "How am I supposed to know? I didn't abduct her."

The Father goes next, "But you must know something? Surely it's the same person, you must have known where he kept you!"

I give him a disgusted look, "I was hit on the back of the head and was out cold before the car even began moving again. I have no idea where the kid is so stop bugging me!"

Gordon tries a different route, "Raven, didn't you hope that someone would try and find you?"

I roll my eyes, "Wow you are such an idiot. Of course I did but I watched the news the day after I was taken and I can tell you with certainty that no one was looking for me. I know you have checked the records, no one filed a missing person's report, no one cared that I had gone missing. No one so I think that more than explains why I couldn't care less about that kid."

The parents look forlorn, Batman looks like the thinks I'm crazy and Gordon just looks stressed. I chuckle without humour, gaining their attention again. They don't say anything but I answer the silent question anyway.

"You're looking for her, which decreases her value. I wouldn't be surprised if she was beaten half to death and left on the main street. Well, that would probably be the best possible outcome, assuming she doesn't die from the torture and assuming that he doesn't just kill her outright" I tell them laughing a little. "Whatever the case, you better hope that she has the mentality to try and live through it, otherwise I suggest that you start planning a funeral."

They pale at my words and the doctors encourage me to keep going with the crutches so I keep moving. The emotion I feel next is one that I can't describe. Before we began the plan and before it all went to shit, we were all given ear pieces and I only now realise that it hasn't yet fallen out of my ear.

Through the ear piece, I hear it turn on and Crane whisper, "Take a breath."

As subtly as I can, I take in a deep breath and hold it. No sooner than I do, does gas start to fill the room and I play along, covering my mouth and looking freaked. I make sure to dart my eyes around so that no one can tell just how calm I am.

Through the thick smoke, I see Crane come into the GCPD with the two men that didn't do the whole thing with the subway, the tree of them in gas mask (well Crane has his Scarecrow mask on). They make their way to me with stealth and I'm surprised that Batman hasn't noticed. I nod to Crane and he picks me bridal style, while one of the others gets my crutches and the other one covers us with his gun.

We get out easily and get into the waiting van, while gun boy takes the wheel and floors it once the doors are shut. Crane carefully puts me down as the other henchman sits in shotgun before he sits next to me so that I don't fall off the seat.

I lean back and look at him, "Hey Boss."

He rolls his eyes, "Did they check you over? Give you medication?"

His tone makes me act a bit more serious, "Yeah they did. The only thing wrong is my leg and they gave me pills for it. I also had two antibiotic injections and the nerve block is still in place" I inform as he inspects the stitches.

He nods, "I had to leave you behind because I knew that they would treat you better than I could."

Coming from him, that's thoughtful, "Thanks, but you didn't bother with the three morons in the subway did you?"

He scowls at the reminder, "Their minds are broken by now, it was a very concentrated dose and no, I didn't even consider going back for them, not when they wasted so much of my toxin."

I hear the two remaining men gulp, good they should be scared. I sigh, "I'm tired" I say.

He hums, "Try and stay awake until we get back, that way you can change into more comfortable clothes and you'll sleep better."

I bite my lip but nod, "Okay, I'll try and stay awake."

O~O~O

We arrive back at the warehouse without any fuss and Crane tells the men to take my crutches and place them next to my door and then make themselves scarce. They do as he says and once they've run to their poker table, Crane picks me up again and carries me up to my door.

Reaching my door, I take out my pills and then my key so that I can unlock the door and we go inside. He's careful of my leg as we walk through the threshold and he places me on my bed before shutting the door.

"May I?" he asks, gesturing to the pills.

I hand them over as I stand up with my crutches again, emptying my pockets and heading over to my draws. I hear him murmur to himself about the pills.

"Start taking these in the morning, once all the other injections you've had, have had a chance to make their way through your system" he says to me.

"Fair enough" I agree before turning around with a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts with me. "Probably not something that you want to do but will you help me change my pants?" I ask.

He nods, agreeing with my words and helps me out of my jeans and replace them with the cotton shorts. He helps me sit and I don't even bother to wait for him to leave before I rip my shirt off and I feel his eyes looking at the scars before they're covered when I put my tank top on.

"Need anything else?" he asks, steadying me when I lean too far to one side.

"I think I'm alright, I just want to have a nap" I answer and he nods again helps me into a comfy position, using spare pillows to prop up my leg. "Thanks again."

He hands me a pre-paid mobile phone, "Use this to let me know if you need something, you shouldn't walk for a while unless you absolutely have too."

I take it and nod, "You are going to go back to normal soon right? Cause you're kinda freaking me out."

He gives me a perplexed look, "Penguin says it best when he says, 'happy employees, happy employer'. However, unlike him, I prefer brains over brawn and you've been able to be of more help in two weeks then any henchmen in two months. I know I didn't help you when you were being taken by Batman but you've gained a stronger attitude from it, why can't we be civil and occasionally friendly with each other?"

I roll my eyes but let him have that one, "Let me sleep on it?"

He gives me a small smile, "Of course and then we can talk about your revenge plan some more on your former captor." I give him a genuine smile at that one and he leaves me to get some sleep.

 **Author's note: okay so a little bit of drama, just a bit. It may be a while before I update this story, just because I have to prioritise my time a bit more and take a break from writing. Until next time, Bye!**


	8. Chapter 7

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 **Author's note: I've been on a writing roll today so I figured that I may as well keep going and see how many stories I can update! As I said in the last chapter, the end of this story is approaching BUT the ending I thought I wanted to use, I'm now not so sure about :( so we'll see how that goes. Moving on, here's the next chapter, WARNING SLIGHT SAPPY STUFF AHEAD…enjoy.**

 **Chapter 7**

Raven's point of view

Sitting in Crane's lab, I just watch him do whatever it is he's doing, having no idea as to what the words coming out of his mouth mean. Since I broke my leg, he has rarely let me out of his sight, making the only two men left do all cooking and cleaning. I mean, I was never going to do all of that anyway unless I was bored but that's probably why Crane is making them do it, so that when I get bored, I can't cook or clean. Truth be told, that is a good thing, my leg hurts like hell but the pills I was given prevent any painkillers from working, something to do with their chemical composition or something. Crane tried to explain it to me but I just don't get it.

We're still planning to gas my former abductor, but there's a problem…the girl. I don't care about her and I don't want to be seen, looking as though I do. But at the same time, she didn't do anything to me, apart from cause her crazy parents to ambush me in the GCPD, and even then that wasn't her fault either. I mean, I don't care but I don't necessarily want her dead either.

I hum, "Hey boss" I say to Crane, only half expecting a response.

I get one anyway, "Yes?" he asks, looking up from his workbench.

"What are we going to do about that kid? Assuming she's alive, I don't want to get charged with her murder if we gas him before he kills her" I tell him, scrunching up my nose a bit.

He nods slowly, "True, that does pose as a problem" he agrees, thinking out loud for my benefit. "What if we gassed him in a public place? That way we can make it look like a general attack. We can put tracking devices on those we gas who are of 'importance' to see where they go. From the surveillance that we've been doing on him, he's becoming really paranoid. He very may well go to where he's keeping the girl, and all we'd have to do then is get the Bat or Gordon to follow him. Two birds, one stone."

I go over his words in my head, "That sounds good, but how will we get Bat-brain to follow him?"

"Hmm" he muses, bringing a laptop over to me. "We'll tell Gordon beforehand, give him the tracking signals. If he does what we think he'll do, the fact that he's heading in a direction that isn't expected will bring about a reason to follow him. Make sense?"

I nod, becoming excited, "Isn't here meant to be a conference tonight? At the building where he works?" I ask, nearly bouncing a little in my seat.

He smirks at my behaviour, "Yes, I'll get the men to hire a few kid pick-pockets to place the tracking devices, they'd be good at that sort of thing, and then we'll send Gordon a pre-recorded message. Once the gas has been dispersed, I'll have the men monitor his movements, just in case he doesn't go where we want him too."

O~O~O

We spend the rest of the day planning, not wanting a single avenue to not be catered for. Crane even hacked into Arkham and flashed his photo, casually commenting on how he abducts, and tortures young girls for no known apparent reason, knowing that should he end up there, he won't receive a nice welcome. Even in insane asylums, hurting kids is low and not tolerated.

We also talk about how it's very possible that Crane might be caught and thrown back in Arkham. We decided that if possible, I'll stay in the chemical plant and if I have to go out for any reason, I'll put on my makeup and do my best to keep a low profile.

"You should be fine" he comments, "Most of the bosses around here know of you and you haven't done anything stupid to warrant them to hurt you, so provided that that doesn't change, you shouldn't be bothered." I nod with his words, happy that I know my former captor's life is about to be ruined, just like how he ruined mine.

Crane leaves to get us something to eat, letting me use the laptop if I want to, which I do. I'm still bothered by how I can't remember my life before being abducted, so I begin searching and searching and searching. Eventually I find a newspaper archive, where they have scanned newspapers so that there is a digital copy, perfect for my search. Then I find an old article, a birth announcement of a baby girl called Ravina Carlson, born twenty-two years ago. Using the name, I refine my search and find a family photo, of Mr and Mrs Carlson and their daughter Ravina, all dressed up and standing in front of a school. The article says something about the adults and how their new program is helping those at the school but all I can do is stare at the girl, who is said to be twelve years old at the time of the picture being taken. I look to the nearest reflective surface, and realise with a start that the girl is me, my name is actually Ravina, and they are my parents.

With this new knowledge, I dig even further, finding information on my parents. They work for the school's board of directors, are in their thirties…and have a son. They're alive, still living in Gotham and have a son who is five years old. Judging from his birth announcement, he was born while I was still being held captive and seems to be the apple of their eyes. Taking a deep breath, I look again for a missing person's report but still don't find one. I do find interviews that ask my parents why I no longer accompany them, and that their response was always that I was studying, or visiting relatives, or sick.

Staring at a new photo of them with my…little brother, a photo that could have only been taken a few weeks ago and I feel…nothing. I don't know how to feel, having felt angry and betrayed by them for so long, feelings that I know won't go away any time soon, and I just don't have anything more to add to what I have found out.

Just for something to do, I look up my former abductor, but don't find any new information:

 _Francis Jones,_

 _45 year old Caucasian man,_

 _Occupation – Lawyer,_

 _Clientele – varied._

I roll my eyes as I re-read the information before I go back to what I found about my parents.

O~O~O

When Crane comes back I tell him about what I found and he listens to the dull tone of my voice. It takes me a few minutes to relay all the information to him, in between bites of food and when I finish, he doesn't say anything. He just lets the room go quiet.

Eventually I look at him, "I don't know what to do Crane. I mean with the rest of my life" I clarify. "I'm not smart enough to go to University, I never finished high school! I'm twenty-two but regardless, I've been on the news enough for people to almost think that I'm a criminal. I don't know the first thing about fighting, or chemicals or robbing or whatever else so I can't exactly be a criminal, even if I learn I just don't know if I could be bothered to do all that. But at the same time, it's not like I can try and live a normal life either, I'm too easily recognised without my elaborate makeup. I'm not even sure if it would be worth it to leave Gotham, I don't have anywhere to go."

Crane doesn't add anything, to my relief but does change the subject nonetheless. Happy for the distraction, we continue our previous conversation until the men call and say that everything is ready. I wish him luck as he leaves, to which he just puts on his scarecrow mask and walks out the door.

O~O~O

The next morning, I find myself eating alone. Batman caught up with Crane and threw him into Arkham, like we thought he might. Lucky for me that my leg is nowhere near healed, so that I wasn't caught too. I don't want to have to deal with those in Arkham again.

Since it's a nice day, I decide to put my makeup on and go and read today's newspaper in the park. I manage pretty well on my own, with my bag and crutches and the guy at the stand was patient which was nice. Going through the park, I find an isolated bench underneath a large tree, and decide to sit. I manage to get through about half of the paper when a familiar shadow blocks my light.

Rolling my eyes at the loser in front of me I say, "Are you so bored that you're going to pick on an injured girl who has no idea as to how to defend herself Batman?"

I look up at him as he ignores my question, "The missing girl that you refused to help was returned to her family yesterday" he drawls.

I turn the page and keep reading, "And?" I ask. "I still don't give a damn. When is that going to sink in? Or are those pointy ears of yours too thick?" He doesn't respond so I scoff and I fold the paper to fit into my bag. "I'm going home" I tell him, standing up and wobbling a bit before I balance with my crutches and look at him, "If you dare follow me, I'll scream out 'Scarecrow'" I threaten.

He doesn't move but says seriously, "Crane is locked up in Arkham, you have to let him go."

I turn to face him again, disgust clear on my face, "You don't think I'm dating him do you?" I ask but don't let him reply before I add, "Gross! That is so not happening!"

I shudder at the thought and leave, not hearing anything behind me. Good, hopefully that news shocked him and as it should. I will confess that Crane isn't all that bad to look at but I wouldn't date my boss.

O~O~O

 **2 and ½ months later**

I sigh as I look at my calendar, today is the day that my cast should come off. For obvious reasons, I'm not going to the hospital but at the same time, I'm not going to do it myself. I look out the window to see the sun is about to set, giving me enough time to go to the park before it gets dark. Picking up my crutches, I decide to do just that, not bothering with my makeup, lest some thugs don't realise who I am and try to attack me.

I go to my now usual bench and sit, sighing again as the breeze blows through my hair. I decided to keep it down today, letting it swirl around my face. I let my eyes close for a bit and don't open them until I feel something wrap around me. I stay calm, a guess in my mind as I open my eyes, confirming my guess at the same time.

"Hello Poison Ivy" I say to the woman in front of me. "Are you bored?"

She examines me, clearly knowing who I am by my scars, "Why would you ask that?" she inquires.

I tilt my head at her, "Because the last person to tower over me was Batman and I know that he had nothing better to do at the time, when I wasn't doing anything wrong." She hums but doesn't let the vines release me so I shrug, "Can you wake me up when you've decided to kill me or not? That would be great" I say before leaning back and closing my eyes again.

It's silent for a few minutes but the vines do slacken their grip in unison with her saying, "I was just ensuring that you weren't a part of some sort of trap."

I open my eyes and nod at her words, "Fair enough, but as you can see, I'm not exactly in a position to run away so I wouldn't make very good bait should something go wrong" I tell her, gesturing to my leg and crutches.

She hums, "How long have you had that on?" she asks curiously, "I would have thought that it would be off by now, judging by what I heard."

I sigh, "It was meant to come off today but I don't know how without cutting my leg off and I don't want to go to the hospital, since I'll most likely be arrested" I explain to her.

She holds out her hand, and I look at it for a moment before shrugging and taking it. She helps me to my feet and waits for me to balance with my crutches. Once I am, she motions for me to follow her. Not having anything else to do, I trail her through the park and into a hidden underground grotto. As I look around she greets all the plants as they come to her, before she comes back to me.

She gestures to a chair, "Here, sit. I'll get this cast off for you." Curious I do as she asks and watch as she brings some sort of thorny plant over to me. "It won't hurt you" she assures me.

I watch as the plant wraps around my leg, mindful of the stitches that were never removed, and crack through the plaster cast. When the cracks are significant enough, the plant retracts and she places back where it was before. Then coming back to me, she carefully pulls the cast away, revealing my leg. Placing the plaster cast to one side, she gently removes the clear film and takes a set of medical scissors and forceps, removing the stiches for me and letting the skin finally breathe.

I let out a breath, "It feels nice to not have that cast on anymore, thank you" I say to her.

She gives me a small smile, "Your welcome, and I'm sure it does feel better, your skin is so dry but that is to be expected."

She goes and retrieves a bowl of warm water and two cloths, handing me one as she softly washes my calf. I follow her example and wash my thigh and knee, mindful of the water getting too close to where my stitches once were. She dabs the area in question, wiping away all the grime that has built up as a result of being covered for so long and once we're done, she applies a lotion to my skin. It must have been of her own creation as I see my leg change before my eyes, the colour and muscle tone returns slightly, and the faint scaring from the stiches disappears entirely. As this happens, someone else enters the room.

Without looking up from her task she says, "Hello Jonathan, come on in."

Looking up at him I wave and he says, "Hello to you both, how is your leg Raven?"

I look down at it, "It seems okay, but I'm not a doctor" I tell him.

Ivy moves again, this time coming back with a needle and a filled syringe, "This will help the bone become solid again, Jonathan told me the extent of the injury" she says before injecting the liquid.

I lick my lips and make a face as she removes the needle. Jonathan looks at me, "Not a fan of needles?"

I shrug, "It just felt weird, that's all."

Ivy hums again, walking over to her table, "I have a tonic here that will restore the rest of your muscle tone, and I can make a lotion for your scars if you'd like. Some of them look as though the skin is very tight and it can't be comfortable" she says honestly.

I grimace, "It's that obvious?" I ask, but before they can answer I add, "That sounds really great, I'd appreciate it a lot."

She smiles and hands me a cup, "This is the tonic, it tastes like honey. Drink up" she instructs. I do as I'm told and it does actually taste like honey, despite being a pale pink in colour. When I'm done she hands me a bottle of lotion, "This probably won't remove the scars but it will make the skin soften. I'm basing this on the scars on your face though, are they the worst?"

I sigh and shake my head. Placing the bottle beside me, I lift my shirt and expose my stomach, "This one is worse" I say, pointing to the serrated scar in question. "And I have a similar one on my back." Both Ivy and Jonathan examine my stomach before looking at my back.

Ivy sighs, gently running a finger over the worst scar between my shoulder blades, "Aww Honey, you poor thing. Why don't the two of you stay here for a while, there's room and I want to see how much damage I can reverse for you" she says, her voice sounding almost maternal.

I pull my shirt back down and she comes to where I can see her. I bite my lip and ask, "Why?"

She touches the tip of my nose light-heartedly, "Jonathan and I are friends and you've helped him despite not showing a desire to undertake the same actions" she says. "We rogues need to stick together sometimes and you didn't do anything to warrant being treated like this. Why not let me help you?" she reasons.

I think about it, knowing that I still don't know what I want my next move to be, so why not. I look into her eyes, "Okay, thank you."

She grins and winks at me, "You stay here, and I'll whip up a little something for you to eat."

She walks away, her plants following and Jonathan sits beside me. I look at him, "How's Arkham these days?" I ask cheekily.

He smirks at my antics, "Still the same, still easy to get out" he replies before saying, "You'll figure out where you want to go Raven, whether it means leaving Gotham or not."

I pick at the seam of my shorts and carefully run a finger over my newly freed leg, "Let's hope so, I'm not sure how long I can keep this resentment thing up. It's too tiring."

He seems to think for a moment before pulling out a smart phone from his pocket, allowing me to see the screen, he plays a video. I know instantly what it is and my mood brightens as I watch my former captor lose his mind.

 **Author's note: Hmmm, that was a bit sappier than I had originally intended it to be but oh well. At least I have a new chapter for you, so that has to count for something. As always please leave me a review and I will try and have the next chapter ready as soon as I can. Until next time, Bye!**


	9. Chapter 8

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 **Author's note: I'm baaaaack! I know I haven't been around in a while but I have a new chapter for you guys so I'd think that we're good now :D.**

 **Chapter 8**

Raven's point of view

It's weird, not having to walk with my crutches that much anymore. That injection that Poison Ivy gave me has made my leg pretty much perfect, although she still reminds me that I need to take it easy. Speaking of which, I'm currently helping her water her 'babies'.

Looking over the plant in front of me I say, "Have I given this one too much?"

I hear the older woman come to stand beside me and hum, "No, perhaps a little more."

The two of us are quiet, I'm thinking and I think she's just enjoying her plants. As I finish with my little area, I place the watering can back on the window ledge where I found it and look out the window itself. I keep my weight on my good leg and lean against the little table as I do, sucking on my teeth as I continue to think.

When I feel two people behind me, I turn, seeing Jonathan and Ivy, "What's up?" I ask them.

Ivy leans on a hip, "We were about to ask you the same thing."

I click my tongue, "Oh I'm just wondering if I have the guts to accuse Penguin of some shit."

Ivy's face stretches into a sultry smile, "Really now? What kind?"

I take a breath, "That's what I'm trying to figure out, one way I guess you could look at it is blackmail but you could also look at it as compensation."

Jonathan hums in understand and quickly brings Ivy up to speed, "Raven was working for Cobblepot as a waitress in the Iceberg Lounge but had to quit due to complaints from his men."

She flicks her hair over her shoulder, looking peeved and looks to me for confirmation. I sniff and say distantly, "I'm not a slut but they seemed to confuse me for one."

She crosses her arms across her chest, "So you were sexually harassed in the workplace but yet you were fired and they weren't?"

I nod, "He wanted the muscle more than me, 'happy employee makes for a happy employer' is what he said."

I swear she snarls, "That pig, so much for being a respectable business man."

I shrug, "I'm not disputing that, I was just thinking that if I could get some money from him, then I could pay for some online courses and get out of Gotham." I admit.

Her face softens, "That sounds like a good idea, what kind of course?"

Hopping up onto the table I look at both her and Jonathan, "I was thinking like a hospitality course, like I could be a waitress somewhere, maybe New York" I say with a shrug.

Jonathan nods, "There's always work for a waitress, and there's so many diners in New York that I'm sure you'd find something. Some areas wouldn't even ask too many questions either."

I nod alone with him, "That's my hope, that I could make a new name for myself and make Raven like a nickname."

Ivy hums, "Just as a suggestion, what about Rachel Crason? It's not too far from your actual name and Raven would still pass as a good nickname for you, so long as you add in some little story" she offers.

I crack a small smile, "Crason? As in half Crane, half Carlson?" She winks at me but doesn't say anything, Jonathan just shakes his head and I laugh a little. "Fair enough, I can live with that" I eventually admit.

She smirks in victory, "Good, that way Jonny's story will check out too."

Jonathan raise an eyebrow and crosses his arms. Whether it's from her planning or the 'Jonny' comment, I'm not sure, "Oh? And what exactly is my story?"

She huffs delicately, walking away as we follow her closely. Well Crane actually follows her, I just follow with my eyes, "Raven would be an idiot to march into Penguin's lair and demand money, he'd shoot her without a moment's hesitation. Whereas if you go instead Jonny, with a story in tow about how you and her have a little deal, and take your toxin as well, she'd be practically guaranteed the money" she explains as though it was obvious.

I'm impressed, and it shows on my face, "So what is our 'deal'?" I ask Jonathan, using finger quotation marks.

He hums and Ivy lets him come up with this bit, "That I get you out of Gotham and keep you out of Gotham while in return, you supply me with the chemicals I need whenever I ask" he says.

I think over it and nod, I can live with that, "Would you though?" I ask, just wanting to double check.

He hums, "No, when it comes to my toxin, I can become quite impatient and should I have to wait for a few days for a shipping to come from New York, I very well may go insane" he clarifies.

Ivy and I both snigger at his words and I say, "No comment."

He glares momentarily before Ivy punches his shoulder, "You set yourself up for that one" she says. "Now let's focus on making Raven a new bank account and start looking for courses and then you can go to Penguin, alright?"

He looks at Ivy and then to me, studying my face critically, "No chance that I can tempt you to stay and help me?"

I sigh and reply easily, "I'm sorry Jonathan but no. If we had met a few years ago when I was still bitter and angry then you would have a different answer. But right now, as far as emotions and personal drive goes, I've burned out. I just don't have the energy to keep up those kind of motivations."

He gives me a small smile and nods his head at me once, "I can respect that, although I'm quite curious as to what your parents would say" he muses. I look to Ivy and she gives me a look that says, 'What can you do?' before she starts up her computer.

As Jonathan and I watch her create me a new identity I roll my eyes to myself and sigh again, "Alright" I say in a bored tone.

Ivy raises an eyebrow and Jonathan chuckles, "Excuse me?" he asks.

Leaning against the table I look at him and say, "Once I'm gone, you have my personal permission to mess with my parents for a little while, you know, telling them that I'm actually alive, that I know they never looked for me, that they had another kid, that I've left town, that kind of thing. Not that you need my permission but still."

His expression remains neutral but I can see it in his eyes that his mind is spinning with possibilities, curious to see what kind of reaction that he could get. "And does this…permission include my toxin?"

I laugh at the pure sadistic tone of his voice, "Tell you what, since I hardly remember them and that I honestly don't feel anything for them, I'll let you decide on that one. If you want to gas them or inject them then go for it, but only after you have told them about me and maybe make it just for one of my parents. I don't really want to be the cause of my…little brother" I say with a bitter taste in my mouth, "becoming a ward of the state. He didn't do anything to me although I'm still not too thrilled with the knowledge that I've been replaced and forgotten about."

He doesn't say anything but the twinkle in his eyes says it all. Ivy shows me my new identity, and we even look through courses just like she said. We find one that allows me to study now and pay it off later. In my excitement I even hug her quickly before coming to my senses and removing myself from her personal space, apologising as I do with a nervous cough.

O~O~O

Third person point of view

Crane stands outside the Iceberg Lounge in full costume with a brand new batch of toxin that he's just itching to try out. He snorts at how easy it was to place a few gas bombs and he begins to walk through the front doors, barely noticing as he takes down those in his path. He allows himself a smirk of satisfaction as the terrified screams of those he injected reaches his ears and he reaches Penguin's office.

Casually strolling through the doors as if he owns the place, he relishes in the outrage on the face of the smaller man. "How the bloody hell did you get in here?!" he demands.

Beneath his mask, Scarecrow takes over completely and just clicks the needle finger on his gloved hand as an answer to the asked question.

If possible, Penguin becomes even more pissed, "What is the meaning of this?!"

Scarecrow chuckles in an almost demonic fashion, "I have a problem you see. Little Raven and I have an agreement but that means that she owes me. Now she's a young lady of her word and is more than willing to work for me in order to pay off her debt. But then what do I discover this morning?" he asks rhetorically. "I discover that you owe her a rather large sum of money. You owe her and she owes me, so it makes perfect sense that _you owe me_."

Penguin splutters nervously, "What has gotten into you Crane old friend? I don't owe that kid anything!"

The man in question just hums and taps his needles against each other as he speaks, "Word through the underbelly is that you fired her when she wouldn't put out for your men. That she was the one being sexually harassed and yet you fired her instead of those doing the harassing."

Penguins scoffs, "If she was bothered by it then she should've said something" he insists.

Scarecrow rolls his eyes, despite it not being seen by the present company, "We all know that you would have put a bullet through her brain for her trouble, and she knew that too. It's just lucky for her that this will work out better for me than for her, otherwise I wouldn't be here" he comments with dis-interest. He's met with silence so Scarecrow shrugs and presses one of the buttons on the little remote that he brought with him.

As screams erupt from every corner of the Lounge, Penguin demands, "What is this?!"

Although un-necessary, Scarecrow explains, "You're smart enough to know Cobblepot, I want what is mine. You just transfer the required amount of money into an account that I will provide for you. Then and only then will I provide you with the antidote but if I were you, I'd hurry. The mind can only take so much."

The shorter man draws to his full height (which truthfully doesn't do too much) and puffs his chest out, "Not going to happen Crane" he threatens through clenched teeth.

Scarecrow, not even phased with being addressed by the wrong name, simply shrugs again and walks towards the exit. Making it to the street straightforwardly enough, he moves to stand in a nearby alley to wait, inspecting his gloved hand through his mask as he does so. He mentally makes notes on his new toxin batch, how quickly it took effect and how much was needed to do so, and notices that only a small amount of the amber coloured liquid was required, a discovery that spreads a sadistic pleasure throughout his being.

O~O~O

It's not too long before the mobile phone in his pocket rings. He picks it up but doesn't answer, he doesn't have to.

On the other side of the line, the screams of Penguin's muscle can be heard and Penguin himself cries out, "OKAY, OKAY, I'LL PAY THE BRAT. JUST NAME THE PRICE SO SHE CAN PAY YOU AND GIVE ME THAT ANTIDOTE!"

Scarecrow sniffs and hangs up, throwing the phone away as he makes his way back into the chaos that the Iceberg Lounge has become. Arriving back into Penguin's office, he hands the seated man a slip of paper with the required amount of money and the details of the wire transfer.

Penguin snatches it and begins typing furiously on his laptop as Scarecrow comments, "Did he just rip out his own tongue? Interesting, not the most original thing I've seen but still interesting."

Cobblepot gulps as Scarecrow watches from over his tuxedo clad shoulder, sneering in satisfaction when he observes that the transfer has been completed.

Penguin however exclaims fearfully, "Where did that money just go?! I just transferred it and now it's gone!"

Scarecrow huffs disgustedly, "Of course it's gone. I've had someone wire it to yet another account, one that you can't trace so I make sure that I keep my money" he says as though it should have been obvious.

He catches Cobblepot's attention and presses the other button on the remote. As he does, gas is heard from all around and the screams slowly die out, making Penguin slouch into his chair.

Scarecrow hums once more, "I'm surprised you waited ten minutes" he comments, looking around at the men who have seriously injured themselves. "Guess they're not that valuable to you after all. I can see at least twelve in this room who should be put out of their own misery but then again, I do so love their misery."

Then without a second glance, the man with the burlap mask walks back out of the Iceberg Lounge with a casual wave of goodbye as if what had just occurred was nothing more than an outing in the local park.

 **Author's note: Well? Do you think I should leave it here or maybe add one more, like an epilogue? I mean after all, this is a tad short and I like the idea that Crane and Raven have one last conversation before possibly never seeing and/or talking to each other ever again as she goes off to make a new life for herself. But anyway, I'll see if I can scrape together an epilogue, maybe with a bit of Crane and Raven's parents, maybe with a bit with Raven in her new life… we'll see :) As usual, no flames please but review are loved. Just as much as all those follows and favourites, until next time, Bye!**


	10. Epilogue

_**Just Another Kind of Crazy**_

 **Author's note: Okay, it's taken me way longer than I thought but here's an extra little snippet for you. It's not very long but at least now you all know how it ends :D I hope that you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed that challenge of writing a darker fic such as this one. I'm not making a sequel just so you know but I hope you enjoy this last chapter nonetheless.**

 **Epilogue**

Raven's point of view

I did it, I actually did it. I've completed my online course in waitressing and have paid it all off. On top of that, I've moved to New York, found a good little apartment with a pretty cool roommate, and have a job at this little diner just around the corner. It kind of reminds me of that show ' _Two Broke Girls'_ …you know except that I'm not broke.

Poison Ivy's cream has, by some miracle of those plants of hers, has removed about seventy percent of my scars, including a few on my face. The four leafed clover scar is now a tiny burn mark and the lined scars on my opposite cheek are very much reduced. They're no longer full lines, more like a lot of little ones so when people ask what they're from, I say that they're from a little dog that decided to run over my face when I was relaxing in the park one day.

My roommate, Bella, reminds me of Clara a little, with blonde hair and ice blue eyes, except that Bella's hair is in a pixie cut. She's about my height and has lived in the area her whole life. A bit of a tomboy but she doesn't care that I don't want to talk about why I've moved out here.

She also has a bit of a potty mouth, "Come on bitch, we're gonna be late if you don't move your fucking ass" she tells me without any malice.

I roll my eyes and chuck a cushion at her, she's always like this, "Relax Hells Bells, I'm coming."

She snorts, "Not from what I've heard" she counters before cackling at her own joke.

I roll my eyes, locking the door behind us as we start walking to work but I allow myself a smile. Sometimes she reminds me of Gotham and it's actually comforting.

We get to work on time, despite her concern. I poke her ribs, "See, you cow? We're fine."

She bumps her hip into mine, "Relax bitch, better early than late."

I take a page out of her book and snigger, "Not from what I've heard" I parrot.

She cackles again, "You're finally learning a bit. Ah I'm such a good teacher."

I hand her, her apron, "Get to work slut" I tell her. She grins at me, she loves it whenever anyone swears in any way, says that it 'frees' them. I shake my head and we start to wait on tables.

O~O~O

Third person's point of view

The Carlson family all sit down with their extended family and friends for a good night in…well that was the plan, until a number of armed men burst into the room, plain burlap sacks with eye holes cut out over their faces. They surround those present while everyone looks towards the front door where the infamous Scarecrow is standing. Mr and Mrs Carlson hug their son to them as he walks forward, his needle hand clicking as he does.

He stops in front of them, "Greetings Mr and Mrs Carlson, I've been wanting to meet you for a while now."

They shiver at his voice and Mrs Carlson replies, "Why? We haven't done anything to you."

He chuckles darkly, "Do you remember your daughter?" he asks and the boy looks confused. "Ah you haven't even told your son that he has an older sister, interesting. But no matter, do you remember her? Little Ravina?"

The woman gulps, whispering "Of course I do."

He hums, "Well you could have fooled me. You never reported her missing and as a result, she had to endure seven and a half years of systematic torture" he drawls, loving the horror on their faces. He hands her a photo of Raven when she first came to the asylum, "This is what she looked like after all of that, with no memory of her real name, no memory of who she really was."

Tears start to leak from her eyes, "I-I" she stutters but nothing comes out that's understandable as her hand shakes.

Scarecrow clicks his needle hand again, leaning closer, "But she knows now. She found out who she really is, she knows that you never looked for her, she knows that you and your husband replaced her with your son, and she hates you for it."

She pales, "Is she dead?"

He shakes his head slowly, "No, she got herself healthy again, and with my assistance has left Gotham to start a new life."

The husband pipes up now, "You helped her? Ho-how-how?" he stumbles, fear filling his tone.

Scarecrow grins behind his mask, relishing in the fear, "We made a deal after meeting in Arkham Asylum" he begins, loving how scared they are, even without his toxin. "She wanted you to pay, to feel what she felt. Now I don't know all the specifics" he tells them slowly. "I don't know if she was raped, I assume so but…" he trails off with a casual shrug despite knowing for a fact that Raven was never raped. "I've gotten off topic, where was I?" he asks.

The nearest henchmen talks, "You was saying how you and Miss Raven made a deal boss."

"Ah yes, thank you" he says airily, looking back to the couple in front of him, "We did make a deal. The deal was that I get her out of Gotham where no one would be able to find her in exchange for her finding me the ingredients I require for my toxin. She kept her end of the deal and so I kept mine. Before she departed, she asked me to come and tell you what I have. She wanted you to know that she survived, she crawled back from the brink of insanity, and has created a new life for herself" he explains slowly, savouring every drop of delicious dread.

Mrs Carlson has tears running down her face at this point, this all feeling like a real life horror movie to her, "Okay, you've told us, now will you leave?"

He laughs demonically, "No of course not. You see despite my better judgement, I developed a degree of respect for her. She couldn't be bothered to deal with you but out of respect for her, I asked if I could instead."

Mr Carlson does his best to hide his son, "What will that entail?" he asks, feeling stupid.

Although it goes unseen, Scarecrow grins widely, "I'm so glad you asked" he says, his voice nearly a coo. "I'm going to test out my new batch of toxin on you both, one of you will get a more powerful dose than the other, giving the person with the lesser dose to have a better chance of recovery and therefore be around to care for him" he pauses, pointing to the little boy, clinging to his father. "That bit was a requirement of Little Ravina, despite hating that she was replaced, she's not as cruel as I, and wanted at least one parent to care for the boy, should the other descend into untreatable madness."

The tension in the room thickens, to the point that it would take far more that knife to cut it. Mr and Mrs Carlson themselves look about ready to have a stroke or a heart attack, with the others in the room fearing for their own lives, despite no threats being made. The fear is contagious and spreads throughout every crack and crevice in the room.

Faint sirens are heard in the distance and Scarecrow decides to give Raven's mother the greater dose, injecting her neck swiftly before giving Raven's father a lesser dose.

He takes a step back, watching as it takes effect, "I'll leave you to determine to whom I have given the higher dose. I shall bid you farewell, for I don't intend to converse with the bat this evening, may your nightmares be wonderfully terrifying."

Giving a mock bow, he leaves the house with his men following, nodding pleased when one shows that the cameras inside the house are still recording.

They all return to Crane's newest hideout and the men begin to back up the footage that the cameras have already captured as well as the live feed.

They watch as Batman and Gordon attempt to determine who has the greater dose and seem to think that it is Mr Carlson. Scarecrow sniggers at their mistake and they too realise what they've done as Mrs Carlson collapses on the floor, her head thrown back in a silent scream as she begins to scratch at her own throat. Her sharp, manicured nails pierce her skin and trails of blood run down her skin and onto the floor below.

She's quickly restrained and taken away to prevent further distress for her and the other people in the room. Batman sees Raven's picture and shows it to Gordon.

He turns to Mr Carlson who has regained his state of mind and is consoling his son and asks, "She's your daughter?"

Mr Carlson nods, "Yes, Ravina is our daughter. We never reported her missing because she and my wife had a fight the day before and we thought that she had just taken off. By the time we realised that she hadn't, that something must have happened to her when she didn't even call her friends, we were too ashamed to tell anyone."

Scarecrow hums thoughtfully and his men shuffle, slightly nervous as to what he may do. They feel relief when all he says is, "I'll be leaving in the morning to attend to some business. I'll be gone for a few days and I want a copy of this tape. When the bat and Gordon leave, turn it off and leave a copy on my desk" he instructs, heading to his lab.

O~O~O

Raven's point of view

No, way. Go figure that on my one day off, he finds me…although I shouldn't be too surprised really. Walking around in Central Park is my favourite thing to do on my day off, the only time I really let myself think about Gotham, just for a little bit.

I casually walk towards Crane, sitting beside him as he folds up his newspaper, "Hey boss man" I greet, a small smile on my face. "How's Gotham?"

He licks his lips, adjusting his glasses, "Hello to you to Raven, and all is to be expected. How have you settled in?"

I hum, not bothering to hide my content, "Very well, I have everything I need and I'm…happy."

He gives me a small smile, "That's good to hear, I'll be sure to inform Pamela."

I nod, wanting Poison Ivy to know that her hard work paid off, "Thank you that would be great. I'd like to ask, did you ever tell my parents?" I ask curiously. In response, he hands me a DVD and I know without him saying, just exactly what's on it. I place it in my bag and hum, "One more question" I say.

He gestures with his hand, "By all means."

I cross my knees and turn my head to face him, "Will this be it? Will this be the last I see of you unless one of your plans ends up on international news?"

His smile widens, "Yes Raven, this will be the last you see of me. Oh, before I forget" he tells me, handing me a slip of paper. "Pamela's current alias and email address."

The smile I send his way is genuine and I lean over to kiss his cheek, "Thank you Jonathan" I tell him, honestly happy that I can contact Poison Ivy-Pamela and keep in touch with her, cause she is a pretty cool lady.

He hums, "Yes, well I best be off" he stands and straightens his jacket, "Goodbye Rachel Crason."

I stay seated and give him a wave, "Goodbye Doctor Jonathan Crane" I reply, not missing the pleased smirk that he sends my way before disappearing into the crowd.

I look at Poison Ivy's alias and email address and grin, finally happy with my life before I put the slip of paper in a safe place and head home where I get my ear buds and laptop and watch the DVD alone in my bedroom, shivering in sadistic pleasure, a part of me that will always remain.

Once I welcomed you into my life, I said that I hoped you enjoyed your stay because I was certain that I wouldn't. But now, I've taken what was left of my life and I re-built a new one so I guess that my former captor can suck it cause last I heard…he was headed for Arkham Asylum and the residual darkness within me loves it, knowing what will await him.

 **Author's note: There you go, all done. I'm really happy with how this all turned out and I hope you guys are happy with it to. It's a nice conclusion to a story that I wasn't even sure that I would post once upon a time but I'm glad I did as it gave me a bit of a challenge, to try and write something that's darker than my usual fics. I wouldn't mind hearing what you think about this epilogue but as usual, no flames please. Until next time, Bye!**


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